Saturday, October 31, 2009

Dix Hills condo complex agrees to allow mezuzahs

Dix Hills condo complex agrees to allow mezuzahs: "A Jewish woman from Dix Hills who says her condominium complex discriminated against her by stopping her from displaying a 4-inch mezuzah on her front door has won a settlement after an investigation by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo."
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The mere fact that people even have to file cases like this tells you how screwed up things are.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In Texas, Rep. Coleman introduced legislation to reign in the religious discrimination practices of property owners associations in the 2009 legislative session.

Community Associations Institute lobbyists immediately attempted to turn the bill into an enabling act to allow all property owners associations to engage in religious discrimination, to allow associations to fine for "unapproved" displays, and to permit property owners associations and their agents to forcibly remove any "noncompliant" religious display from the homeowners property.

Among other things, CAI lobbied to limit the location of any display to the door of the dwelling (thus even if you had a single family home, you could now be fined and any display could be forcibly removed from your property). CAI lobbied to limit the display to 25 square inches. (For the math-impaired, 25 square inches is less than 1/4 of a sheet of letter-sized paper). Interestingly this figure was apparently chosen after CAI lobbyists measured commercially available mezzuzahs. (primary lobbyist's name is Connie Niemann-Heyer) CAI's tactic was to proclaim that without the ability to limit religious displays, there would be "6 foot crosses made of hubcaps on the front walk". (Connie Niemann Heyer, "POA Action in the 2009 Legislative Session", Niemann & Heyer, LLP, April 9, 2009)

CAI's goal was to actively promote religious discrimination under the pretext of protecting religious display. CAI's objective was to create even more power for HOAs and to empower all property owners associations (and thus their agents) to be able to forcibly remove religious displays. CAI's conduct promoted religious discrimination as well as more chaos and misery for profit via "fining" and litigation in properties burdened by HOAs. CAI has never represented the interests of homeowners - only the interests of management companies and HOA attorneys that prey upon the involuntary members of these associations.

A copy of the April 9, 2009 newsletter is available here:
http://www.riataranch.net/uploads/2009NiemannHeyer4-9LegislativeUpdate.pdf