Latest news with #ArmyCommendation
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why housing under DOGE should scare us all
House keys sitting on an eviction notice received in the mail. (Photo by Getty Images) D.C. drama saturates the news — and saps the patience of those still managing to watch. This overwhelming flow is much the point: the informal Trump advisor and Virginia-born Steve Bannon has noted a goal to 'flood the zone' with 'muzzle velocity.' The new regime wants to shock and scare. In this alone, they have succeeded. Most of us have lost. Civil rights are being attacked rather than enforced. And scourges like housing discrimination, which my organization emerged to fight more than 50 years ago, are on the rebound. Will housing win in November? The warning lights are blinking red. Think housing discrimination is a thing of the past? Consider the case of Tiera McLeish, a disabled Army veteran from Yorktown. Until recently, Tiera was living there with her two children. 'They loved it,' Tiera said. Yorktown made them all feel at home. But Tiera told us that her ex-husband, who she said had been abusive years before, started 'hunting us down' and suing for custody of their daughter. Around this time, she lost her job, and then her car suddenly needed a major repair. She fell a month behind on her lease. Tiera reached out to two veterans' groups for help. Disabled American Veterans, a national nonprofit, and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, a state agency, offered to cover the missing month's rent. But Tiera's landlord wouldn't accept this generosity. That was the first time her property manager broke the law — specifically, the Virginia Fair Housing Law, which prohibits discrimination over the source of funds used to pay rent. That same law and several other state and federal statutes also bar discrimination against people facing domestic violence. Nevertheless, the landlord filed for eviction, a process Virginia law makes cheap and easy. Fearing that she and her children could suddenly be homeless, Tiera drove out of state to live with family. But still her landlord wouldn't stop. Tiera received a $17,000 bill for the rest of her lease. This was another illegal action, prohibited by consumer protection laws. Tiera is a decorated military veteran. She was honorably discharged as a sergeant after earning Army Commendation and Army Achievement medals, among other personal, campaign and unit awards. But now, she and her children fit a terribly familiar profile: Black women like Tiera face the most eviction filings, more than double the rate of white men and women. And the most common age among Americans experiencing an eviction is under 18. But Tiera will not face another common reality, with just 1.6% of renters facing eviction in Virginia going to court with a lawyer. Today one of our attorneys at Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME of VA) will argue her case before a judge in Yorktown. We will contest the eviction filing and file suit to secure justice for the landlord's multiple acts of housing discrimination. 'I don't think my landlord was counting on there being good people in the world,' Tiera told us. She hopes our representation will dissolve the power of what she sees as simple 'greed' by the property manager. And she is determined to move forward, taking classes in hospitality management to pursue a new career in hotels. 'I want to welcome people in,' she said last week, 'lean into my values and make people feel comfortable.' This isn't Tiera's only goal: 'I want to show my children that this doesn't define us,' she added. 'Facing discrimination, us being homeless — that's not who we are as a family.' For more than 50 years, through Democratic and Republican presidential administrations, those of us in the housing justice movement have had partners in Washington to fight bias. That makes sense: this work isn't about politics. It's about what's right. But the new regime has other plans. The Trump administration is cancelling grants to organizations like ours that handle more than 75% of housing discrimination reports filed each year. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced agency-wide staff cuts of 50% while gutting its Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. HUD also aims to close dozens of field offices around the country. At HOME of VA, we are working to fill the void. Together with fellow fair housing attorneys around the country and courageous clients like Tiera, we are conducting investigations, filing lawsuits and vigorously defending housing rights. Laws protecting Americans from discrimination are only as good as their enforcement. We must support fair housing organizations to ensure that the promise of equal access to housing is a reality for all. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
James Edward Payne Chief Warrant Officer (CWO2) James Edward
Feb. 8—James Edward Payne Chief Warrant Officer (CWO2) James Edward Payne, United States Army (Ret.), passed peacefully at home on Wednesday, January 29, at the age of 93. Born on January 26, 1932, in Springboro, Pennsylvania, Jim was raised on a small family farm along with his six siblings. He joined the Army at his first opportunity and was sent to Fort Knox Kentucky for basic training. Upon completion of advanced training as an automotive maintenance technician, he was assigned to the 18th Infantry Battalion in Lenggries and Aschaffenburg Germany. He then returned stateside to join the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley Kansas. His next set of orders brought him to the 8th Infantry Division at Fort Carson Colorado. He next returned to Germany and to the 8th Infantry Division at Goeppingen and Bad Kreuznach, Germany. At the conclusion of his second tour in Germany, he was reassigned to Garrison Company Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the ensuing years that followed, Jim served in South Korea with the 1st Calvary, in Germany with the 1st of the 79th, at Fort Benning Georgia with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, and in Vietnam with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, 2nd Battalion 18th Infantry Division and as Special Advisor in the Mekong Delta. In total, Jim's military career spanned more than two decades during which he earned the respect and admiration of his peers and superiors alike. His military awards include three Bronze Stars for meritorious service in a combat zone, as well as three Army Commendation medals and numerous individual, unit and campaign ribbons. Following his retirement from the Army in 1971, he and his wife Johanna made their home in Albuquerque, where they became founding members of the Edelweiss am Rio Grande German American Club. Through their involvement, they sought to preserve and share authentic German culture, cuisine, music, and dance with their adopted community. Jim served multiple terms on the club's governing board and contributed to numerous special committees. He and Johanna were also honored as Prince and Princess during the club's annual Fasching celebration, a cherished tradition akin to Mardi Gras. Jim was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Johanna Payne. He is survived by his three daughters, Patricia Payne, Cindy (Payne) Fallin and her husband Jim Fallin, and Sandra Payne and her husband Randy Jordan. He is also survived by his sister, Darlene (Payne) Parks, the sole remaining sibling of six, one brother and five sisters. Jim's legacy of service, strength, and kindness will be forever remembered by those whose lives he touched. His unwavering dedication to family, community, and country leaves an enduring impact that will not be forgotten. A celebration of Jim's and Johanna's lives is being planned for early February at Daniels Funeral Home in Albuquerque New Mexico. Details can be found at A burial ceremony with full military honors will take place at the National Cemetery Santa Fe New Mexico in March of 2025.
