Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit had been paying Parks' rent, which had been as high as $1,800 a month, since August 2003, the Rev. Charles Adams said.

"We did not want her set out in the street,"

Ok, I've never been to Detroit but I'm sure there's at least one or two degrees of housing that exist between 1,800 dollars a month and living "in the street".

Rosa Parks' landlord has offered to let her stay in her apartment rent-free, two years after threatening to evict her when the owners said her caretakers missed rental payments.

"This woman is an icon. She deserves an enormous amount of respect. In a way, I think it's an honor to be able to accord her that respect."

So first they threaten to evict her for not paying rent and then it's an honor to allow her to stay there without paying rent. Am I alone in imagining that one could not reliably quantify the amount of hate mail, threats, etc. that this person received and that this is, in fact, why this decision was made?

Also the headline is misleading.

I think that if he did evict her his name would be plastered all over every news site and he didn't want to be "that guy" that evicted Rosa Parks.

And an $1,800/month apartment in Detroit is a very nice place. Regardless of the city around it

I feel sorry for the landlord.

He needs his money, but you cant evict Rosa Parks.

Hey! A properly used Hero tag. Well, I'll be!

I also feel for the landlord. If not her family, some charitable organization should be taking care of this.

My guess is the original eviction notice was more of an automated thing. It's not easy keeping track of multiple tennants, even one who helped change the world.

InfamousG

That's the point I was trying to make. This may sound inconsiderate but she doesn't have to live in such a nice place if she (or the church that's nice enough to put up her rent) can't afford it. $1,800 is excessive. I'm sure she can still have a nice place, maintain her dignity, and spend about half of that amount a month.

More recently, Parks' lawyers have filed two suits involving the hip-hop duo OutKast and their record company, BMG, over a song titled "Rosa Parks." They seek a total of $5 billion.

OutKast
Rosa Parks

(Hook)
Ah ha, hush that fuss
Everybody move to the back of the bus
Do you wanna bump and slump with us
We the type of people make the club get crunk

Verse 1:(Big Boi)
Many a day has passed, the night has gone by
But still I find the time to put that bump off in your eye
Total chaos, for these playas, thought we was absent
We takin another route to represent the Dungeon Family
Like Great Day, me and my nubian decide to take the back way
We stabbing every city then we headed to that bat cave
A-T-L, Georgia, what we do for ya
Bull doggin hoes like them Georgetown Hoyas
Boy you sounding silly, thank my Brougham aint sittin pretty
Doing doughnuts round you suckas like then circles around titties
Damn we the committee gone burn it down
But us gone bust you in the mouth with the chorus now

(Hook)

I met a gypsy and she hipped me to some life game
To stimulate then activate the left and right brain
Said baby boy you only funky as your last cut
You focus on the past your ass'll be a has what
Thats one to live by or either that one to die to
I try to just throw it at you determine your own adventure
Andre, got to her station here's my destination
She got off the bus, the conversation lingered in my head for hours
Took a shower kinda sour cause my favorite group ain't comin with it
But I'm witcha you cause you probably goin through it anyway
But anyhow when in doubt went on out and bought it
Cause I thought it would be jammin but examine all the flawsky-wawsky
Awfully, it's sad and it's costly, but that's all she wrote
And I hope I never have to float in that boat
Up shiat creek it's weak is the last quote
That I want to hear when I'm goin down when all's said and done
And we got a new joe in town
When the record player get to skippin and slowin down
All yawl can say is them nubians earned that crown but until then...

(Hook)
(Harmonica Solo)
(Hook til fade)

Ha. The filter caught the N-word.

Sorry to keep posting in here with useless stuff but I just re-read that last paragraph I quoted above. 5 billion?! WTF?

While she was instrumental to ending black segregation, why should someone feel forced to give her free rent in a luxury apartment for the rest of her life. The apartment owner has to eat to you know.


4

1500 sq ft Apartment $1250-$1800 rent in Detroit.

That's bigger than my Suburb house.

FourSKY: The apartment owner has to eat to you know.

Someone who owns an apartment complex, whose rooms are rented out for $1800 USD a month, probably doesn't have that hard a time feeding his family. That's even assuming that this is the only complex to his name.

And I've seen the building. It's not a luxury apartment.

Sweet, greenlighted!

GWShenlong05:
Why should he feel forced to do it, weather he has the money or not. He was going to evict, public opinion stepped in, and now he is giving free rent for 2 years (life).

What is the address. I want to see the place for my self. I owned a 1600 sqf house in Minneapolis and wasnt paying anything near $1800 a month. I think she could have something just as nice for a little less if other people are footing the bill.

4

The sports players, actors, and actresses of the U.S make more money than $1800 a month.
I think someone who has done so much for humanity deserves it more than someone who hits a ball around a field 6 months of the year.
Kudos to her.

I think she deserves a lot, but this is akin to walking around pointing at something screaming "I want, I want" and it's given to her. I dont have a problem with a church willingly paying for her rent, but I have a problem with an apartment manager being publicly forced to pay for her.

Food for thought. Suppose she walks with $800 million from the lawsuit. Do you still think she should be entitled to free rent in this manner?

4

Why doesn't the NAACP step in and pay the rent?

What will happen is because of the loss of rent, the other tenants will get a small increase in their rent earlier than they would have. Basically, her neighbors will be forced to pay her rent.

More recently, Parks' lawyers have filed two suits involving the hip-hop duo OutKast and their record company, BMG, over a song titled "Rosa Parks." They seek a total of $5 billion.

Billion? That's about insane, greedy lawyers and nothing else. They should be laughed out of court and ordered to pay costs.

FourSKY

Notice that I never said that the landlord should be forced to foot the bill. I replied to your comment, saying that he "has to eat."

Personally, were I the landlord, I would not accept rent payments from her. On general principle, she would stay for free. On the other hand, I also don't agree with the landlord being shamed into making this decision.

GWShenlong05

Then we agree...

If she wins a big award in the OutKast case and still won't pay $1800, I'd start running paid tours thru her apartment.

shake it, biatch.

"Landlord offers Rosa Parks apartment rent-free"

ends up as " ( Rosa Parks ) refuses to pay rent."



... HUH ?

"More recently, Parks' lawyers have filed two suits involving the hip-hop duo OutKast and their record company, BMG, over a song titled "Rosa Parks." They seek a total of $5 billion."

WTF? That has to be a typo.

Paying 1800 bucks a month to live in Detroit is just stupid.

Ok, she helped change history, yay, but poor landlord...

isn't the point of equality that everyone is EQUAL?

Why does an old woman get a free apartment when so many other deserving families are living in projects or worse?

I know, there's no way to draw the line. Still bugs me though.

I'd evict her. Icon or not, she has to pay the rent like everyone else. If someone wants to pay it for her, fine. But living rent free? I wish I could do that just for sitting on a bus.

5 BILLION dollars! omg, my tropicana twister shot out of my nose and that NEVER happens.

dementia is damned right, and i think in her case it might be contagious although who got it first, her or her lawyer is up to debate.

A vote for me is a vote for not paying even half of 1800 dollars a month to live anywhere near detroit

this chic is a legend surely someone out there has got the money too lend a helping hand. i would do it myself if i had the bucks. bill gates if you read this HELP the poor woman out if ya dont mind! not like your taking 30 billion with ya when you croak unless its in the form of a check.

mediaho:

Hey! A properly used Hero tag. Well, I'll be!

She's a hero, yes, but there's nothing heroic about not paying your rent, especially when the landlord hasn't violated his end of the contract.

oh vote here.

Jesus, the more I learn about her the more I seem to hate her.

She's no hero. Look up Claudette Colvin or Mary Louise Smith if you want heros.

I spit on my history textbook.

I'm gonna be movin!

Someone please explain to me how this woman could be used as a cultural icon by the NAACP for 50+ years and yet still not have enough frikin money to pay her rent? You would think there would have been a Rosa Parks fund established, or maybe some money for all those speaking engagements? I mean she /was/ the lacky of the civil rights movement right?

Damn, shoulda RTFA first.

She's NOT movin, still.


The woman doesn't like to move.

Apparently.

nightbreed:

I think someone who has done so much for humanity deserves it more than someone who hits a ball around a field 6 months of the year.

Not to nitpick too much here, but I think that the deeds she's done have been important mostly for Americans, not humanity. You could make an argument of the latter, but I think that the former is probably more correct.

Just sayin'.

$1800 a month? Thats 3x my rent and just about covers all my monthly expenses. She needs to find a nice place thats just a wee biatcheaper I'd say.

So they're letting a 91-year-old woman in failing health stay rent-free for the rest of her life. Why does their generosity not overwhelm me?

Jeez... she should just hush that fuss.

/everybody move to the back of the bus

Poeple. Its a PR thing. She is really old now and you know how crazy old poeple are. Often poeple are remembered as much by the recent as they are by the most significant. Rosa Parks is a Hero for the Blacks, and if i was black I would not want her image tarnished by the intelligence of the age of 91.

2004-12-06 09:53:28 AM FL8ME [TotalFark]

Ok, I've never been to Detroit but I'm sure there's at least one or two degrees of housing that exist between 1,800 dollars a month and living "in the street".

The place she is staying is probably a nursing home if she has dementia like the article states. Dementia is usually another term for Altzheimer's and those people require round the clock care. I wouldn't want anyone to be in a place that cost less. As it is the suck factor on nursing homes is astronomical and they suck exponitially more as the price goes down.

/grandmother died of Altzheimer's ... what a sad, terrible way to go.

wasn't the Outkast lawsuit brought about by her kids, not by Rosa herself?

Parks' lawyers have filed two suits involving the hip-hop duo OutKast and their record company, BMG, over a song titled "Rosa Parks." They seek a total of $5 billion.

What the hell? What makes her think Outkast and their record company have $5 billion? Maybe she has a case of some sort, but how about sticking to realistic figures? Jeeze.