Cincinnati, OH – Housing Authority Issues Reprimand for Slur Against Jewish Board Member

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    Arnold Barnett  is a Member of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing AuthorityCincinnati, OH – Members of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority’s board reprimanded their former chairman for using an ethnic slur during a disagreement with a fellow board member.

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    The reprimand described the conduct of board member Arnold Barnett as “offensive, intolerable and contrary to the mission of the agency.”

    Board members said Barnett’s behavior also was a factor in their decision to suspend their search for a new executive director.

    Barnett, who still sits on the board despite stepping down as chairman two weeks ago, has been accused of promoting discriminatory housing practices that now are the focus of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    The reprimand follows a verbal confrontation between Barnett and board member John Rosenberg, who said Barnett became irritated during a conversation, pointed his finger inches from Rosenberg’s face and asked him “if I knew what a kike was.”

    Barnett acknowledged that he used the word, a derogatory reference to Jews, but said he did not intend it to be an ethnic slur against Rosenberg, who is Jewish.

    Barnett, who also is Jewish, said he was upset because Rosenberg turned his back on him during the conversation and refused to talk further. That’s when Barnett said he used the word, which he said describes “a person who gives Jews a bad name, who really has no ethics or integrity.”

    “I’m not going to make any bones about it,” Barnett said. “I don’t have any respect for Mr. Rosenberg.”

    He said he regretted using the slur during a conversation at the housing authority’s office and within earshot of several people, but he did not back down from his decision to use the word to describe Rosenberg.

    During a special board meeting, Barnett passed out copies of a definition of “kike” he found on Wikipedia and noted that it defined the word as a description Jews use to describe Jews of low character.

    “Where I did it was improper,” Barnett said. “I don’t think it was improper Jew to Jew.”

    Rosenberg asked the board to approve a stronger resolution demanding Barnett’s resignation. He said Barnett’s confrontational style has offended others on the housing authority’s staff and the incident on Oct. 28 is just one reason Barnett must go.

    “I have never been in an organization that allowed the continued behavior that I believe Mr. Barnett exhibits,” Rosenberg said. “It’s such a big deal that we should say this is inappropriate … and we should say he shouldn’t be here.”

    Board Chairman Lamont Taylor said Barnett would be fired by most businesses because of his behavior.

    “All of the allegations are appalling. They are offensive,” Taylor said. “In the private sector, you would be terminated. There is no excuse for it.”

    But Taylor and several other board members said the public reprimand was sufficient because the board does not have the authority to oust Barnett and any action it takes would be purely symbolic. Board members are appointed by public officials, such as Cincinnati’s city manager and the county’s Common Pleas judges, and only those officials can seek a board member’s removal.

    Barnett was appointed by the judges, but presiding Judge John West did not return calls seeking comment.

    A spokeswoman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development said appointing and removing board members is “a local call.”

    “HUD doesn’t hire them, so HUD can’t fire them,” said Donna White, a HUD spokeswoman.

    Board members voted 3-2 in favor of reprimanding Barnett and sending a letter to the judges asking them to investigate the matter. Barnett, who opposed sending the letter, and Rosenberg, who favored a stronger resolution, voted no.

    The resolution also states that Barnett should not be involved in the housing authority’s search for a new executive director. That search was suspended after federal investigators raised concerns about potentially discriminatory hiring practices.

    Board member Pete Witte said Barnett’s behavior was one of the main reasons investigators were worried enough to ask the agency to delay hiring a director.

    “It’s a shame this agency, at this point, has wasted thousands of dollars in its executive director search because of a member who was not thinking clearly,” Witte said of Barnett.

    One of the finalists for the job, acting director Richard Rust, said he withdrew his name from consideration two weeks ago because of Barnett’s behavior.

    “I would not seek permanent employment from a board that includes Mr. Barnett as a member,” Rust said.

    The infighting on the board comes less than three weeks after federal housing officials were in Cincinnati to investigate claims that the housing authority – and Barnett, in particular – have embraced policies that discriminate against poor African-Americans.

    Barnett has been a focus of the investigation because of his combative public statements about critics, including the Cincinnati lawyer whose discrimination complaint prompted the federal investigation.

    The complaint accused Barnett and the housing authority of encouraging illegal inspections of property and claimed the authority had failed to approve hundreds of rent-assistance vouchers to qualified residents through the Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as Section 8.

    Barnett has denied the accusations and has said his goal is to ensure the vouchers are used throughout Hamilton County and not just in a few neighborhoods and communities.


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    4 Comments
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    Raphael Kaufman
    Raphael Kaufman
    14 years ago

    Why is it that African-Americans (“Blacks” would have been easier to write but not P.C.) can call each other the “N” word without anyone raising a fuss, but Jews can’t call each other the “K” word without public outrage?

    Allan
    Allan
    14 years ago

    I won’t condone the use of the term…since it was used with others present. I guess since both men are Jewish it would be the same as two black folks using the N word at each other. Poor choice of words in a public place.

    Rangers Goalie
    Rangers Goalie
    14 years ago

    Kike at least did not start out as a bad word at all. As a matter of fact it was a complement. Jews when signing a document in Germany did not wan’t to sigh at the X because it resembled a cross. So instead they made a circle and a circle in German is a “keichel” round or circle. Hence Kike for short, as in the phrase “sign at the keichel.”

    Summer
    Summer
    14 years ago

    I think what this all boils down to is that most board members did not understand the definition or meaning of the word “Kike” used in anger by Mr.Barnett. Many cultures have certain slang name used between themselves. Blacks often use the term “my Nigga or Nigga”, White culture may call another white a “red neck”, or ‘hill billy”, to name a few cultures in our society. Therefore, the use of slang is not the issue here, but where the use of slang occurred. it was the use unprofessional language in a professional atmosphere. Secondly, it is implied that Mr. Barnett has an over- the- top aggressveness most board members-including the Jewish Mr. Rosenberg have been tolerating for a while, and this incident was the last straw to prompt others to finally act on confronting his negative, non-productive, non-team oriented, “bullying”behavior. In a nutshell, he made the other members look bad infront of the public view. That is a definite “no, no” in any top management/business environment. CMHA has enough the deal with in terms of the recent discrimination claim against. Mr. Barnett, is seem like you got to go, along with your non-apologetic attitude. Thumbs up for Mr. Rosenberg.