[Newspoetry] Saturday at noon by OJC

[David Young]

Isn't the Illinois Human Rights Act, strictly speaking, a civil rights
act?

This issue of protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation
is no doubt important, but their are other parts of the Act are badly
in need of amendment.  For example, there is a questionable exemption
to Section 3-102.  Here is Section 3-102:

    § 3-102. Civil Rights Violations; Real Estate Transactions. It is a
    civil rights violation for an owner or any other person engaging in a
    real estate transaction, or for a real estate broker or salesman,
    because of unlawful discrimination or familial status, to

    [ What follows is a list of unlawful discriminatory practices
      pertaining to renting and selling real estate. ]

In Section 3-106 is the questionable exemption to Section 3-102:

    § 3-106. Exemptions. Nothing contained in Section 3-102 shall
    prohibit:

    [ Various exemptions, and then a questionable exemption: ]

    (G) Persons Convicted of Drug-Related Offenses. Conduct against a
    person because such person has been convicted by any court of
    competent jurisdiction of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a
    controlled substance as defined in Section 102 of the federal
    Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802).

    [ Various other exemptions follow ]

Instead of being specifically exempt from protection under the Illinois
Human Rights Act, ex-convicts should be specifically protected from
discrimination. Clause 3-106(G) was doubtlessly framed by a law-maker who
wags his finger at "revolving-door justice," but 3-106(G) is precisely the
kind of law that keeps ex-convicts from being re-integrated into society,
thus contributing to recidivism and ensuring their continuing contact
with the criminal justice system. 3-106(G) also helps to make persons
affected by the criminal justice system into non-citizens before the
law and other citizens, just like laws that abridge affected persons'
right to vote and to own firearms.

Probably there are other "jewels" of backasswardness in the human rights
act. Just more things to picket Johnson about....

Dave