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William Wayne Justice Papers

Fair Housing: The Young Case (continued)

In March 1996, HUD submitted a summary report. Although not required by the Court, the report summarized the desegregation actions taken by HUD from January 1994 through February 1996.

Dallas Public Housing

The March 1995 Final Judgment required that HUD implement Waiting List Initiatives and a Fair Housing Services Center to provide fair housing counseling services and assist class members in obtaining desegregated housing.

 


In a 2003 settlement stipulation, HUD agreed to create 1,500 more desegregated housing opportunities for class members and continue funding the Fair Housing Services Center and Desegregated Housing Opportunity Program. The litigation ended in 2004 when Judge Leonard Davis approved the settlement agreement.

Young v. Whiteman P-82-37-CA

In the action against the Clarksville Housing Authority, Judge Justice found that the Clarksville Housing Authority intentionally assigned tenants by race for the purpose of segregating them. The Clarksville Housing Authority was given five days to provide a transfer plan to meet the requirement that each site be within five percent of the current racial composition of the tenant population.

Letter 1983

The transfer plan required twenty-five families to move from a white complex into two black complexes and twenty-four families to move from the black complexes into the white complex. In order to select the tenants to be transferred, names were drawn out of a hat. Judge Justice received letters condemning his decision as cruel, heartless, and uncompassionate.

As indicated by these deprecatory December 1983 letters to Judge Justice from E.R. Lott of Folkston, Georgia, K. L. White of Edgerton, Wisconsin, Vivian Thomas of Kansas City, Kansas, and Betty P. Dean of Kirkland, Washington, Judge Justice’s ruling attracted attention throughout the nation.

By 1988, the three Clarksville public housing units were 33%, 48%, and 89% black.

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