Reminders of segregation
You'll find our story about racially restrictive covenants that linger in old property records in today's paper. A multimedia version of the story is also online.
State legislators contacted for the story said homeowners should have the opportunity to remove the old language. But that requires a change in law.
What do you think?
Should the General Assembly allow homeowners to strike racial language from deeds records? Or is removing restrictions that have been unenforceable for decades a waste of time?
Comments (2)
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My immediate gut reaction is: not only a waste of time, but also a destruction of part of our history, however distasteful.
But I'm open to arguments the other way, if anyone wants to waste an argument on someone who doesn't get a say one way or the other.
Posted on March 5, 2006 9:42 PM
Just a point of clarification.
The redaction would be voluntary, and for internet records only. The original or archival copies would still be easily available. The process would be similar to Identity Theft Legislation passed in 2005.
I can see you think it may be a waste of time and I will not debate it. That is your opinion. While the law has invalidated the covenants and history should not be forgotten, I do support the position of giving the public a VOLUNTARY, AND NOT IMPOSED opportunity to remove it from copies of their internet records because that's the road most travelled by commerce in exchanging land, etc.
That approach, to me, is not a destruction of history, but cleaning up future land transactions based on current law. The history would still be available, but the public could choose to remove it from that medium.
I look forward to more discussion on the subject.
Posted on March 6, 2006 11:02 AM