Texas Landlords & Law Enforcement Targeting “UNWANTED” Residents
A family’s greatest days are sometimes the day a single mom and her children sign the Texas Apartment Association Lease and move into their new home. But wait….did the lease holder pay close attention to Paragraph 32?
This Texas government sanctioned lease allows that if the lease holder, occupants, or VISITORS are SUSPECTED of a crime they are subject to eviction. The clause removes Constitutional due process. Further exasperating this blatant violation are the direct and many violations of all Fair Housing Laws written to deter targeting.
Many times rogue landlords employ “off-duty” law enforcement, street level cops, for law enforcement services in exchange for “free rent.” The courtesy officer programs are, more often than not, left unsupervised by law enforcement department heads. The lack of organized supervision allows low-ranking officers to work in concert with landlords who compensate them with free rent and encourage the use of state granted powers to target “unwanted” residents, a direct violation to Civil Rights Laws under USC 1983 42, but good luck proving that in a system rigged to destroy the little person.
Case in point, Park at Addison Park Apartments in Arlington, Texas. Latasha Nelson, single mother of five children, has become the latest news worthy victim. Ms. Nelson’s 14 year old son was detained, arrested, for SUSPICION of car burglary, no charges filed to date. The Arlington Police acted on a call identifying her African-American son as matching the description of a boy seen attempting to break into a car on the property NINE days prior. The arrest subsequently escalated to her 16 year old son arrested for interfering with law enforcement as Ms. Nelson pleaded with the arresting officer to tell her where he was taking her minor child. While Ms. Nelson and her attorney were meeting with Arlington Police Chief, Will Johnson, the Addison Park property manager placed an eviction notice on her apartment door citing Paragraph 32. Ms. Nelson, a nurses assistant raising five children alone, has no recourse, even if charges are never filed. Suspicion of a crime has placed her family at the mercy of questionable law enforcement officers and homeless. Ms. Nelson will not be able to lease another apartment with the eviction filing.
Ms. Nelson is not the first, nor will she be the last, Texas apartment dweller to be victimized by rogue landlords employing the services of local police departments. After twenty-three years in upper-level property management positions I am able to clearly stipulate that high density apartment populations, in the state of Texas, should be very wary of “offending” the wrong landlord. I too fell victim to this violation of Civil Rights and Fair Housing Laws; violations sanctioned by the Texas Government through an organization governed by Texas Real Estate law makers who are allowing for the removal of people from their homes without due process.