John Stewart is a housing developer for low-income housing, known to be harsh to poor people. His staff is rude and very sarcastic. John Stewart is building a housing development called “Hunter’s View” in Bayview/Hunter’s Point, formerly known as Double Rock. The housing development will have five buildings to be built in five different stages. There are people who are being moved in immediately through the Housing Authority, prior to the housing lottery, but no one knows who they are. John Stewart is trying to get people of color out of the city and only have wealthy people in the city. No poor people whatsoever.
John Stewart’s first-stage building is discriminating against people with disabilities by limiting the size of service animals in the building: they cannot be larger than a lap dog. That forbids blind people from moving in. A Chihuahua is not a proper service animal for a seeing-eye dog! A proper dog is a Labrador or a German Shepard, not a lap dog! Luxury hotels like the Saint Frances and the Sheraton Palace Hotel allow these service animals in quarters smaller than a one-bedroom unit. This is also discriminating against poor people like myself. Are you saying, Mr. John Stewart, that if I was blind and of low-income, I am not entitled to the same privileges as a guest in a luxury hotel? If so you are discriminating against my civil rights. Because I only make a measly amount on my social security. I am presently not blind but I may need a service dog later on, and you and I may be meeting in the courtroom later on.
In addition to people with disabilities, regular poor people and seniors on Social Security will also be excluded. When John Stewart came, the former residents were kicked out of the area, but they were promised that they could move back. A majority of them had minimum-wage jobs or were on GA. But the new application to live in the building, Page 7, line 4, says that you “Cannot have more than $2500 credit debt or 3 bills outstanding.” Most former residents might have bills outstanding, including PG & E and Lifeline phones, or unpaid medical bills due to the toxic conditions of this area, which would mean a lot of former residents cannot move back. In the application, it says that a single person has to make $38,000 per year. If you were on Social Security like myself, I make $12,000 a year. GA would be half of that. That means that former residents cannot move back because they do not reach requirements. Now you are just kicking out old people like myself! The requirements are close to 50% Area Median Income (AMI) to live in his buildings: it’s almost into the ridiculous category, if you’re a former resident, to try to move back in.
The application alone shows that John Stewart wants to leave African-descendents and other people of color out of the Hunters Point area. At his new development it is forbidden to leave shades open or barbecue on a tenant’s own balcony. (He claims that barbequing is a fire hazard… but if you’re used to barbequing there is no way in hell you are setting the place on fire!) Barbequing is a tradition of both cultures, a part of their cuisine. This was a red flag that popped up under this reporter’s eyes. Do they want brothers and sisters or Oreo cookies living there? Tenants are also limited to spending ten minutes standing outside their apartment. Limiting my time standing outside the building to ten minutes is a violation of my freedom of assembly. It may take me longer to talk to my friends than 10 minutes.
Mr. John Stewart, on the right side of this application, you should have put a slash through the disabled logo. For your many violations of The Americans with Disabilities Act, and by using the words “may” be entitled to reasonable accommodations.