Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-12-20
Fair Housing Order
Seen Next Week
District Ruling
Would Bon Bios
In Realty Deals
BY CHARLES d. PIERCE
Star Staff Writer

The District Commissioners
are expected to issue the long
awaited anti discrimination
housing order next week if Con-
gresS adjourns today or to-
morrow.
The Commissioners an
nounced on July 9 that unless
they were barred by Congress
from doing so, they would
adopt a fair housing regulation
and make it effective in not
less than Is or more than 30
days after adjournment of the
present session of Congress.
In June some 5000 persons.
mostly Negroes, marched on
Pennsylvania avenue in a DEM
onstration in support of an
anti-discrimination housing or.
der here and other civil rights
measures.
Walter N. Tobriner, president
OF the District Board of Com.
mlssioners, promise the
marchers after they massed in
front of the District Building:
Not later than the end of
this session of Congress. the
District of Columbia will have
a fair housing law. The Presi-
dent and the Commissioners
have said the Commissioners
will pass such a law if Con-
gress does not act promptly to
do So"
Congress Is Silent
Congress has taken no action
to adopt a fair housing order
for the District or to block the
Commissioners from issuing
such regulation.
Drafting Of the order by the
Corporation Counsel's office
has now been virtually com,
pleted.
The only issue still unre.
solved is the question of wheth-
er the order should ban dis
elimination in sale or rental of
housing because of race only.
or whether religion and nation
al origin should also be In
cluded.
Proposals for an anti-dis-
termination order recently rec
commended by the District Cit
liens Council would have
banned only bias based on
color or race.
The release of these propos-
ais triggered a series of pro-
tests about the omission of
religion and national origin.
These protests and certain
factual data submitted by
religious and civic groups on
why religion and national
origin should be included in
the order are now being consid-
cred by the Commissioners.
! The Citizens Council said in
its proposals:
I'VE recommend that the
Commissioners regulations be
as broad and as inclusive as
their findings permit. Without
attempting to suggest specific
language. we recommend that
the regulations prohibit any
discrimination based on race or
color in the selling, renting,
maintaining and financing Of
real property. :"
Actions Explained
Tilford E. Dudley, Citizens
Council chairman, said that
the reason the council propos-
ais did not include religion and
national origin was that when
the Commissioners announced
they had found racial discrim-
ination in housing was a danger
to the community, they did not
include religion and national
origin in this finding of fact.
The order planned by the
Commissioners next week is
Expected to ban discrimination
in the selling, renting, main-
tanning and financing of prop
erty.
The regulation will probably
give the District Council on
Human Relations the role of
attempting to mediate discrimi-
nation complaints when they
are first received.
The order is also expected to
provide for formal hearings on
complaints and prosecution by
the Corporation CounSels
office if mediation fails. The
regulation will probably provide
penalty of a jail sentence or
fine for violation of the regula-
ton.
The District Commissioners
found unanimously last March
81 that discrimination based on
race in the sale and rental of
housing is practiced here by
individuals and real estate
dealers.