Pubdate: Mon, 01 Apr 2002 Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press (TN) Copyright: 2002 Chattanooga Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.timesfreepress.com/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/992 EVICTING DRUG CRIMINALS It is not a call that any court wants to make, but the U.S. Supreme Court was right when it ruled recently that agencies administering public housing may evict families from such housing when a family member or guest is caught with illegal drugs. What makes it a difficult ruling, of course, is that the law applies even to tenants who might not have been able to control the illegal activity. With the ruling, the justices upheld a "zero-tolerance" law that Congress enacted in 1988 to cleanse taxpayer-funded housing of drug criminals. It's no mystery to most Americans that many public housing developments have become havens for all manner of crime, including drug crime. In an appeal to common sense, Chief Justice William Rehnquist noted in the ruling that if people cannot control drug use in their own homes, an entire housing project can be put in jeopardy. Interestingly, the law mirrors routine contracts that let owners of private apartments and rental houses throw out even paying tenants who are involved with drugs. Tenants of public housing also sign leases providing for the drug-related evictions. Plus, the law is not so harsh as it might seem at first glance. It still lets housing agencies consider whether a tenant had knowledge of drug use or sales before evicting that person. This provision has led to many people - -- especially the elderly -- being allowed to remain in their homes, while criminals who abused their hospitality have been removed. The law appears to be cutting down on the drug trade in public housing. In Houston, Texas, for instance, about a quarter of evictions last year from taxpayer-funded homes were drug-related, and many more tenants caught with drugs left on their own before they could be evicted formally, according to news reports. Drug trafficking is a scourge on America, and housing paid for by taxpayers should not be used to subsidize it. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex