[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 79 (Friday, June 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 CONTINUATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

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                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2002

  Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to racial 
discrimination which continues to be a problem in America. Recently, in 
my home state of Mississippi, more specifically, Brandon, Mississippi, 
a couple was discriminated against while trying to buy a home. Mr. and 
Mrs. Michael Keys, an African-American couple, were attempting to 
purchase a home in Brandon when they were harassed verbally by a 
neighborhood resident, Chris Hope. Hope threatened the safety of the 
Keys' children after asking them why did they want to stay in a white 
neighborhood.
  Mr. Hope was later subpoenaed when the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development filed charges on behalf of the Keys, who filed a 
housing discrimination complaint. Mr. Hope was later ordered to pay 
$146,000. Hope is to pay $126,000 to the Keys for damages and $8,140 to 
their real estate agent. He has to also pay $11,000 in civil penalties.
  Mr. Speaker, HUD released a statement saying that, ``racial 
discrimination will not be tolerated''. I strongly support that 
statement. Discrimination is too often overlooked because it is thought 
of as a topic of the past. This story reinforces my belief that racial 
discrimination still exist. We must respond accordingly to 
discrimination cases.
  A familiar document that we know as The Declaration of lndependence 
states that ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are 
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain 
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit 
of Happiness.'' Racial discrimination is not only a moral injustice but 
it is also a legal injustice.




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