I pit the Mayor and City Council of Black Jack, Missouri

[Little_Nemo]

Fondray Loving and Olivia Shelltrack and their children moved in to a house in Black Jack, Missouri last month. Now they’re being told by the City Council to move back out. Because even though they’ve been together for years, Fondray and Olivia are not married. The housing codes of Black Jack prohibit three or more unrelated people from living in the same residence, and according to the City Council this family is not related. Me, I don’t quite follow that; the three kids are siblings, that’s got to count. And Olivia’s their mother, so she’s related to them. And Fondray’s their father, so he’s related to them. Admittedly, Olivia and Frank aren’t related but I have to figure that even in Black Jack, it would be frowned upon if they were.

Of course, Mayor Norman McCourt says this issue has nothing to do with the couple’s marital status. He says he’s just trying to ease overcrowding in the city. But in 1999, when another unwed couple with children was evicted, McCourt stated, “The easiest resolution to cure the situation would be for them to be married. Our community believes that this is the appropriate way to raise a family.” I guess Norm figures when couples get married, they take up less space.

I can sympathize with Mayor McCourt’s desire to resolve these problems in the easiest way. So here’s my free advice on how he could keep this real easy; do nothing and stop worrying about things which are not his concern.

[catsix]

What would happen if they gave the city council the finger and stayed where they are?

Would they get fined? Could they sue the city council?

[thursday_next]

Apparently, the law was set up so that fraternities and group homes wouldn’t move into residential areas. I could understand not wanting to live near a fraternity ; except this isn’t the first time they’ve turned away a family where the parents were unmarried (as Little Nemo noted). It doesn’t help the mayor’s case that the ACLU has turned up a letter he wrote them about the previous case where he’s saying it has to do with morals.

Originally posted by Black Jack Mayor Norman McCourt in Jan. 1999
Black Jack officials and residents “do not believe that an unmarried couple having children residing in our community is an appropriate standard that they wish to approve,” he wrote. link

The initial appeal with the town council doesn’t sound like a bucket of fun. link

The couple appealed the denial of an occupancy permit last week at a hearing before Black Jack’s board of adjustment. Shelltrack said board members asked her and Loving personal questions about their relationship, their children and their previous home in Minneapolis, from where they moved, for nearly an hour. Then the board denied the couple’s appeal. (italics mine)

Allegedly, the 3 nonrelated people rule applies to an unmarried couple with more than 1 child. Does anyone understand the logic?

I initially assumed that it was a renting problem, but they’ve purchased the house. As hard as it is to find a place to live that one likes and one can afford, its a shame that they’re going through this additional trouble. Good for the couple for turning to HUD to look into this. I for one am curious how this turns out.

catsix, all it says is that they can appeal (which the couple says is cost prohibative since they just bought the house). It doesn’t mention much more than that.