Condo Board Won't Let Mentally Retarded Adults Move In

[matcom]

<snip>

The condominium board of a Washington Heights building is facing a discrimination lawsuit on behalf of five mentally retarded adults who want to move in.

The lawsuit, filed recently in federal court in Manhattan, is the latest chapter in Margaret Puddington's effort to find a suitable home for her son and four of his friends.

Mark Puddington, 26, and his intended roommates are mentally retarded to varying degrees. Although Mr. Puddington is relatively young, Ms. Puddington, 65, wants to move him into an apartment that will be his home into old age. She needs a place with no stairs, which leaves out brownstones.

After reviewing about 200 properties, Ms. Puddington said in a telephone interview this week, she set her sights on two neighboring units in the Bennett, a Washington Heights condominium.

When the condominium board and property managers of the West 187th Street building learned that their proposed neighbors were mentally retarded, they balked at the $1.3 million deal, Ms. Puddington said.

http://www.nysun.com/article/46455

[Little Wing]

1. Puddington?

:yoiks:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueIris]

3. This is the most disturbing thing I've read about this week.

EW. Those poor men.

[LaraMN]

4. Well, retardation is contagious, you know.

At least the form resulting from ignorance.
:eyes:

[mainegreen]

5. I wasn't aware 'retarded' people bring down property values.

I thought only darkies and jews did that.

:sarcasm:

This makes me sick.

[JackBeck]

6. Price rises if they are gay and retarded. n/t

[CTyankee]

10. I worked for an organization for people with disabilities

and whenever we would try to get a group home in a nice neighborhood we'd get lots of opposition on the basis of property values. So it was easier to get a house in a not so good area. That relegated our citizens with retardation to near slum living. I would certainly not mind if I had people with disabilities next door. I think it would add to the diversity, and therefore be an enhancement, to our neighborhood.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. I smell a lawsuit.

That is beyond outrageous. Fuckers.

[Jimbo S]

8. Is there a muni code regarding the number of unrelated occupants?

Just asking. I see no problem living there as long as they are to code. Rights are rights.

[pdx_prog]

9. Condo associations are so fucked....

It's usually a group of older people with nothing better to do than sit around making ridiculous rules to make everyone's lives miserable..

No smoking on your decks
No overnight parking in the visitor spaces
No bicycles or grills on the decks
No retarded neighbors in or around the premises

[u4ic]

11. So apparently

condominium values could be affected because of the proximity to mentally challenged people? :wtf:


What about living next to a bunch of stupid discriminatory fucks? :shrug:

[LynzM]

14. I agree with you

Good god, what is wrong with people?

Actually, I spent several summers working at a camp for mentally handicapped kids and adults, and talking to people about that experience has given me a lot of insight into the fact that some people are more afraid of those with mental retardation, than any other emotion. And that fear translates into stupid stuff like this, sadly. :( Misunderstood doesn't begin to encompass it.

[Lowell]

12. But I thought you had to be retarded

to be on the board. This so confusing. Maybe that was retired, I get them mixed up.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. That would be a civil rights violation...

would it not?