We need to raise some hell in and around Manassas

[ContraBass Black]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5700917&mesg_id=5700917


Manassas Changes Definition Of Family
Activists Criticize New Housing Limits As Anti-Immigrant

A recently enacted law in Manassas City gained some attention on the front page of The Washington Post Today:

"...a zoning ordinance adopted this month by the city of Manassas redefines family, essentially restricting households to immediate relatives, EVEN WHEN THE TOTAL IS BELOW THE OCCUPANCY LIMIT." (Emphasis Mine)


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/27/AR2005122701216.html


Guess who this takes aim at.


Are there any other Manassas people here?

[demnan]

1. I just saw this

Some one should point out the insane cost of living in even a small apartment in this county! People pay less to rent in Arlington. I paid less in Arlington than to own my condo in Prince William County.

[lynne]

2. Bit of an opinion piece from the Manassas Journal Messenger -

I'm in the county but work in the city. I understand the problem but have no idea how else they could resolve it other than to tax according to number of people residing in the household rather than per dwelling.

To follow are several paragraphs from an OP in the JM with regard to this new law.
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://www.manassasjm.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=MJM%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768993815&path=!opinion

"The Post seems to be offended in particular by our new "overcrowding" law. This law limits the number people who can live in a house by restricting what kind and how many "relatives" can live in a single house. Interestingly, articles like this always fail to delve into possible solutions to the problem. Most likely because there aren't any easy ones. They leave that to those at the sharp end of the sword.

Let me first point out that I don't think that this law is perfect or even good, but it is about the only tool that we have to help manage the problem. Seeing as how the feds refuse to do one of their few constitutionally mandated jobs, that of guarding the borders, there isn't much a town of 40,000 can do but listen to residents and attempt to address their concerns in as lawful a manner as possible.

The other solutions that one could attempt would be even worse. There is no denying that the recent wave of immigration has had a tremendous effect on our community. You see it at the hospital, in law enforcement and in the schools. Try going to your child's classroom on the first day of school and see how many kids speak little or no English. These kids aren't going to learn English all by their lonesome and that means that we need ESL teachers and those teachers need classrooms. This requires money and lots of it.

Understand that the funding formulas at the local level depend almost entirely on property taxes. The amount of property tax one pays has nothing to do with how many people live in a given dwelling but these same people have everything to do with how much money the city spends on servicing the population."