City, Equal Rights Center settle lawsuit

The city of Manassas and the Manassas City Schools and School Board reached a settlement this week in regards to the year-old Equal Rights Center lawsuit.

The city will pay the plaintiffs $625,000 while the city schools will pay $150,000. There are also several stipulations that Manassas must abide by, including the hiring of a housing manager/advocate position.

Manassas will also pay Virginia non-profit organization Housing Opportunities Made Equal $60,000 as part of the settlement.

On Monday, the city council passed a resolution approving the settlement on a 5-1 vote with only councilman Marc Aveni opposing.

The 2007 lawsuit stemmed from a December 2005 ordinance involving the definition of family in an effort to combat overcrowding. That ordinance was revoked by January 2006 but led to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development complaint and a Department of Justice Investigation.

Last October, the Equal Rights Center — a Washington, D.C., civil rights group —  and eight individuals sued the city and Manassas City Public Schools, alleging that the city and school system had taken systematic measures to “target, discriminate against and evict the city’s Hispanic residents.”

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, claimed city officials violated the U.S. Constitution, the Federal Fair Housing Act and federal and state civil rights laws by employing discriminatory zoning enforcement practices.

And while the zoning amendment that redefined “family” was suspended, the suit alleges that at least 23 homes, all occupied by Hispanics, were inspected while it was in effect. The lawsuit also accused the School Board and school system officials of giving confidential information about at least 52 students to inspectors with the zoning office without the parental consent required to release student records.

Other stipulations that the city must adhere to as part of the settlement are providing fair housing training to all its community development, public works and family services employees within six months, outreach and education efforts in regards to zoning issues in both English and Spanish and adhering to a residential inspection standard operating procedure.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-369-5738.