US Attorney Adds To Law Suit Against Chicopee Housing Authority

The US Attorney is amending a suit that charges the Chicopee Housing Authority and its Executive Director with discrimination. The original suit – filed earlier this year alleged Monica Blazic – the Executive Director violated the Fair Housing Act by making disparaging statements about black and Hispanic tenants. The suit alleges that Blazic preferred white tenants. The suit also alleges Blazic intimidated of coerced potential tenants.

“The racist conduct alleged in the amended complaint is shocking – here we have a public housing official openly using racist slurs to impugn tenants she is paid to serve,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell. “Public officials are supposed to do competent work with common decency. When they stray this far from what is acceptable, they run afoul of the law and can expect to hear from this office.”

“It is simply inexcusable for the head of a public housing authority to repeatedly use racial slurs and make other bigoted statements about Black and Hispanic residents, or for the housing authority to repeatedly violate the rights of residents with disabilities,” said Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue housing providers who use brazenly unlawful and discriminatory conduct to threaten and intimidate tenants. All people deserve access to housing free from discrimination.”

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