Landlord Phillip Maze Accused by HUD of Racial Discrimination Because White Tenants Allowed Black Person to Stay Overnight in Trailer Home

Maze reportedly rented a 12-by-52 trailer to a white couple, plus a child and the woman's sister for $500 a month in February. He said shortly thereafter, another sister's two children moved into the trailer. I do agree with him there were far too many people in such a small space. He reportedly told The News that while he doesn't like interracial relationships (who cares?), the real reason he asked the tenants to move was because the "mobile home was too small for the additional three people, the family left dirty diapers and bedclothes strewn outside, and they were behind on the rent."

According to a HUD complaint issued Dec. 17, Maze told a HUD investigator, "I do not have any blacks on my property and I am aware that we have a biracial president, but no federal law will make me rent to anyone I do not want to." "This was a 4th (sic) generation business; Arab, Alabama has very few blacks," the complaint states Maze told the investigator.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000, the most recent year for which information is available, Arab had a population of 7,174 and .2 percent were black. Maze said he did make the statements, but said the investigator was trying to intimidate him. Maze said he did not violate anyone's rights.

"He gave me a stare like he came to arrest a child molester," Maze said of the investigator. The investigator went to Maze's Marshall County home after the family reported to HUD that Maze turned off their water in March after the black boyfriend of a family member spent the night. He told them he would turn the water back on after the boyfriend left. The family took the boyfriend, a college student, back to school and soon moved out, the complaint states. Maze said police had to stop them from taking his furniture as they did so. Source: Birmingham News

Well, it seems like Mr. Maze is pretty defiant in his position against this family. According to The News, he seems to have his mind pretty well made up. He said, "it wasn't just because he was black. They were filthy; they were lazy. I'll burn it down before I let the government tell me who to rent it to." As filthy as he claims these people are, he can't circumvent the law to suit his own needs. It seems rather ironic that he took this action after a black person stayed in the home.

To close, it is a little ironic that we have a town in the United States named Arab, which is located one hour north of Birmingham, 2.5 hours south of Nashville, and 3.5 hours from Atlanta. Here's a little history on the town. It got its name, in 1882, due to an unintentional misspelling by the US Postal Service. The intended name was taken from Arad Thompson, the son of the founder and first postmaster Stephen Tuttle Thompson. Thompson submitted three possible names to get the post office -- Ink, Bird and Arad. Arab was incorporated 1892. To read more about Arab, visit Marshall County Online.