Mayor Taylor Declares April 2014 as “Fair Housing Month” in Palm Beach County

From (L) to (R) Vince Larkins, Mayor Taylor, Pamela Guerrier Esq.,Tequisha Myles Esq.

Pricilla Taylor, Mayor of Palm Beach County presented a proclamation at the April 1st meeting of the Board of County Commissioners to Vince Larkins, FHC President/CEO,  Pamela Guerrier, Director of Palm Beach the County Office of Equal Opportunity and Tequisha Myles, Supervising Attorney of Legal Aid Society of PBC Fair Housing Project declaring April 2014 as “Fair Housing Month” in Palm Beach County.

APRIL IS FAIR HOUSING MONTH!!! Click here and Register NOW for Fair Housing Month Celebration Movie

This year the Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County will be celebrating Fair Housing Month with a showing of A Raisin in the Sun and leading a discussion on the fair housing themes in the movie. 

FHC President Vince Larkins will be leading a discussion on the fair housing themes in the movie prior to the state of the movie.  The event will be held at the Mos’ Art Theater in Lake Park on Friday, April 4, 2014 at 6pm.

FHC President Vince Larkins in Footsteps to Freedom Documentary Highlighting Fla. Civil Rights Heroes William Larkins and Wilhelmina Jakes

Last Friday night, more than 100 people experienced the première of “Footsteps to Freedom,” a city-produced documentary about civil rights struggles in Tallahassee. The production chronicles the creation of the Tallahassee-Leon County Civil Rights Heritage Walk, which honors more than 50 civil rights activists, including the aunt and uncle of Vince Larkins, Wilhelmina Jakes and Bill Larkins, who took part in the 1960s lunch counter sit-ins and the 1956 bus boycott and grew up in West Palm Beach. 

To ensure the documentary is widely distributed throughout the community and beyond, the City is sharing the video online, on television, through the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System and via the Leon County School District. 

“This documentary tells a story that many in this community do not know,” Mayor John Marks said. “I can think of no better time than Black History Month to share these stories of courage and perseverance that demonstrate how far we’ve come as a community since these events occurred.”

 Click on icon above to view VIDEO 

MIAMI SUES THREE MAJOR BANKS FOR WHAT IT CALLS PREDATORY LENDING IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS

The City of Miami has sued three major banks for what is says has been a pattern and practice of predatory lending that has hurt the city’s coffers because of foreclosures and a drop in property tax revenues.

According to the lawsuits filed in federal court last week, Bank of America, CitiGroup, and Wells Fargo violated the Federal Fair Housing Act by issuing loans to minority residents in Miami under terms and conditions that were different than those for white borrowers on a routine basis since at least 2004.

“The goal here is to punish the banks for their practices and to recover for the city and its citizens a portion of as much of the damages as is possible to recover,” said city Commissioner Francis Suarez, who sponsored an ordinance earlier this year to pursue legal remedies against the banks.