City sues housing authority over gay-bashing tenant

This Seattle Housing Authority apartment building is where William Nelson charges that a neighbor harassed him for more than a year because of his sexual orientation. The city is suing the Seattle Housing Authority now, arguing that the authority allowed the discrimination to happen without action, according to a complaint filed Aug. 19 in King County Superior Court. less This Seattle Housing Authority apartment building is where William Nelson charges that a neighbor harassed him for more than a year because of his sexual orientation. The city is suing the Seattle Housing ... more Photo: Google Street View Photo: Google Street View Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close City sues housing authority over gay-bashing tenant 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

In November 2012, William Nelson moved into an apartment building operated by Seattle Housing Authority.

It wasn’t long after that when another tenant started harassing Nelson for being gay, harassment that would go on for more than a year before anyone did anything about it, despite repeated complaints by Nelson.

That’s according to a lawsuit filed last week by the city of Seattle and its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) against the Seattle Housing Authority.

In the complaint, attorneys for Seattle and the OCR charge that Nelson was subjected to continuous and repeated harassment by another tenant with no action taken for more than a year.

Attorneys for the city weren’t immediately available for comment.

Nelson regularly interacted with the property manager and told her repeatedly that his neighbor down the hall would call him names like “faggot fuck” in the hallways or in a nearby Walgreens. The neighbor, who isn't being named here because he hasn't been charged with a crime, regularly glared at Nelson when he saw him and, at least once, blocked his access to an elevator, the complaint charges. Nelson said several times that he was fearful for his safety, the complaint stated.

The neighbor had caused complaints from other tenants in that building and another building where he used to live for making comments about race or origin, and the housing authority had written letters to him about the behavior, as well as at issuing least two notices to comply or vacate.

It wasn’t until police intervened in March 2014 that anyone from Seattle Housing Authority took action in Nelson’s case, the complaint said. But in that case, a property manager issued 10-day notices to comply or vacate to both Nelson and his neighbor.

Nelson filed formal complaints with both the Seattle office of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the city's OCR soon after, according to documents filed with the legal complaint.

An investigation by the OCR found that Seattle Housing Authority had engaged in “unfair housing practices.”

“Specifically, (the OCR) found that Seattle Housing Authority subjected Nelson to discriminatory harassment due to his sexual orientation, in violation of Seattle municipal code,” attorneys wrote in the complaint.

No response has been filed by the Seattle Housing Authority and a spokesperson said the office cannot comment on pending litigation.

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Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.

