Black Twitter Blasts Home Owner’s Associations For Its History Of Systemic Racism

Homeowners Association is going viral on Twitter after users exposed HOA’s for its racist history.

Last week, a Twitter user posted a picture of his neighbor’s yard, accumulating over 24 million views. He referred to a “pile of trash” by the garage door and implied that leaving trees untrimmed and weeds uncontrolled is what you get without an HOA. In fact, the moral of his story was that he’ll “never live in a neighborhood without the rules.”

This is what you get without an HOA.

We have one place in our neighborhood that isn’t governed by the HOA and this is what we get as a neighbor. pic.twitter.com/wbSkrbjTmX

— Nick Huber (@sweatystartup) May 29, 2023

An HOA is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers and a governing body that makes and enforces rules in some residential communities. They share a common interest in a subdivision of homes, condominium complex, high-rise, or planned unit development. After purchasing the home, owners becomes members of the Association and are required to pay fees on a monthly or annual basis.

While 53% of all homeowners live in HOA communities, not all residents want to abide by the rules that have reflected systemic racism since its creation. Experts say that the racist origins of HOA traces back to redlining, designed to keep people of color out of certain neighborhoods.

According to Business Insider, the associations were first created by white Americans in the 1950s and came into prominence during the 1960s. They gained popularity for preserving privilege by discriminating and harassing against people of color as well as its “racially restrictive” language in their documentation. Whether you’ve purchased the house or looking forward to it, HOA discrimination can take place anytime during the process. For example, homeowners of color may still face petty violation fees and harassment.

There are often regulations regarding fencing type and height limits, the addition of outdoor structures, decks, or pools, home maintenance standards, and more. One user shared her experience of living in an HOA. She spent 14 years following rules that even prevented her from hanging her laundry on a clothes line.

I lived in an HOA for 14 years.

They didn’t allow clothes lines. Front window treatments had rules. No structures other than the home were allowed, preventing garden sheds. No street parking for more than 4 hours. (So fun with 2 driving teens’ cars added!)

Even the men in that…

— ApotheCarol (@KissMyCarol) May 31, 2023

Reminder HOAs were established to exclude Black people from neighborhoods after segregation was banned. HOAs were designed to be discriminatory and nonsensical. https://t.co/yZeJmP8Q2d

— Taylor Goethe | Comms Open (@InspectorNerd) May 31, 2023

Are HOA’s intrinsically racist? Yes, yes indeed pic.twitter.com/oQhmdCJtRs

— Dr. L. Xochitl Vallejos, Ph.D., LPC (@realdocv) May 30, 2023

Everything had to back up redlining…the way banks gave loans, insurance,HOAs, etc.

Redlining and govt structural creation of it is exactly how HOAs are set up

The govt put all of this into motion, forcing our people into “urban housing projects”

All based on RACISM.

— kimberly (@iam_kimberlyjo) May 31, 2023