Anti-Christian eviction rescinded! Disabled woman wins right to stay
The American Center for Law and Justice is reporting a victory in its fight on behalf of a disabled woman living at a senior center in Philadelphia.
The woman had been ordered to stop leaving Christian tracts in a common area of the center, and when the ACLJ pointed out in a demand letter that was within her rights, the woman was told she was being evicted.
That's now changed.
The legal team reported, "In a big victory, the senior living complex has responded to our latest demand letter rectifying its retaliatory eviction of our client for sharing Bible tracts."
Further, the report said, "Because of the legal action we took on our client’s behalf, her landlord has now agreed to stop evicting her immediately, to explicitly recognize her protected rights to share her faith with her tracts, and to rescind all the improper, exorbitant fines and fees that her landlord had assessed against our client and tried to use as an excuse to evict her in retaliation for her religious expression."
It reported, " The eviction proceedings against our client have officially ended, and she is once again free to live her life and share her faith."
The fight arose over the woman's desire to share Gospel tracts with others in the facility in a common area where information about opportunities and events routinely is available.
The woman had been forbidden from placing Bible tracts on a community table because building managers insisted they wanted to be "inclusive."
The landlord, Lindy Property Management Co. in Philadelphia, had been approached about its censorship plan, the ACLJ said.
The ACLJ explained, "In every other circumstance where we have been helping other residents of senior living facilities, the facility has responded by acknowledging our clients’ rights and agreeing to change its conduct. At first, we thought that would occur here. Soon after sending our demand letter, we received a call on Monday, June 3, from Lindy’s lawyer saying that our client could exercise her rights again and freely share her tracts."
But the next day, the client, Jocelyn Harris, was ordered evicted.
She, the legal team explained, "has severe medical disabilities; she is legally blind, rides a mobility scooter, and is on regular dialysis for kidney treatments. She also receives Section 8 housing assistance."
Her tracts "communicate her religious faith and invite people to visit her church. This common area consists of a community table where pamphlets, flyers, business cards, and other personal materials are regularly available for people to share. Sharing these Bible tracts is an important part of her faith, particularly as many of her fellow residents have no way to attend church and have expressed [gratitude] to her for sharing these Bible tracts with them," the report said.
The eviction was based on "supposed debt" that stemmed from late fees for rental payments made through an automatic payment system.
Disabled woman facing eviction for sharing Christian message
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