Friday, August 09, 2013

Zimmerman Free But Gated Communities Guilty | Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network

Zimmerman Free But Gated Communities Guilty | Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network
Urban planner Ed Blakely, co-author of Fortress America,  sees it this way:

"Until gated community ownership organizations are held accountable for the actions of their residents and security agents, we will see the use of “stand your ground” and home security arguments as veils for deeper racial and socioeconomic profiling. When the residents of gated communities can assess who can move on their so-called property, no one who crosses into that territory is safe. The only way to change this is to extend by state laws the obligation of gated community associations to be liable for the actions of residents or hired agents who act to control the space. In essence, if the gate is the front door, the community associations have to take on the full liability for any actions taken to protect the turf. If this simple legal approach to organizational liability is taken, then gated communities can protect their property as long as they don't violate anyone’s constitutional rights."

1 comment:

IC_deLight said...

Total B.S.

"Holding the organization" liable is how the board members and their agents get out of personal liability for their actions to begin with. All this promotes is insurance.

An even more dangerous ground here is the suggestion that a corporation itself would have "stand your ground" defenses as opposed to the natural persons whose property is burdened by these involuntary membership corporations.