Race Biased Code Enforcement Actions Used To Force Out Poor Black Tenants, "Placate Racist Constituents," "Further Political Agendas," Says Suit

In St. Paul, Minnesota, the Pioneer Press reports:

• An Eagan man who owned and managed low-income apartments in St. Paul has sued the city, alleging that officials subjected his buildings to "discriminatory and illegal" code enforcement actions designed to hurt his business and get poor black residents to move elsewhere. In the suit filed in federal court in Minneapolis on Friday, Robert McCampbell, 52, and his company, Raven Property Management, outlined what he called a "confrontational, heavy-handed approach" to low-income landlords through its so-called problem properties code enforcement. The city's actions drove McCampbell to lose money and tenants and eventually forced him into foreclosure, he claimed.

• In contrast, McCampbell alleged, the city had a "cozy" relationship with the St. Paul Public Housing Agency, subjecting it to a much lower standard of code enforcement. The housing agency runs about 4,200 federally subsidized units for low-income tenants throughout St. Paul.

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• McCampbell cites federal housing and civil rights violations and violations of state business laws. The suit seeks compensatory damages, attorneys' fees and injunctive relief to keep the city from "continuing its wrongful conduct."

For more, see St. Paul landlord files racial-bias suit, alleging city sought to drive out low-income black renters, their landlords (It says city sought to drive out poor black tenants, their landlords).

See also Minneapolis Star Tribune: St. Paul sued on housing enforcement (An Eagan property manager alleges city leaders are trying to keep out poor tenants. An official says that's not happening).

To view the Federal lawsuit and the detailed allegations, see Complaint - McCampbell v. City of St. Paul ("Certain of defendant's officials and code enforcement officials and inspectors pursued discriminatory code enforcement operations to placate racist constituents and to further political agendas." - at paragraph 13). race bias predatory lending