Black Woman and Her Daughter Sue Former White Neighbor for KKK Flag Display and Other Threats
Federal Case Filed Against Grosse Pointe Park Resident for Racial Intimidation and Harassment
All housing discrimination complaints received by the Fair Housing Center are concerning. This is especially true as to the complaint of Je Donna Dinges and her family.
Ms. Dinges, a hardworking, small business owner, lived in her Grosse Pointe Park home since 2011. In 2017, defendant Ryan Wilde moved next door to Ms. Dinges. A narrow, 5-feet walkway separates the two homes.
From approximately December 2017 until April 2021, Mr. Wilde engaged in or permitted the following acts of racial intimidation against Ms. Dinges and her family:
- Hanging a “Ku Klux Klan Invisible Empire” flag in a window visible only to Ms. Dinges and her family;
- Placing a full gas can in the Dinges' recycling bin;
- Discharging a gun on multiple occasions in the middle of the night from his back porch;
- Preventing Ms. Dinges from entering the shared walkway between his home and hers and staring at her in an intimidating fashion; and
- Throwing garbage in front of the Dinges’ home.
Ultimately, these incidents forced Ms. Dinges and her family in December 2021 to move out of their Grosse Pointe Farms home.
After completing an investigation and analysis of the complaint, the Fair Housing Center made a referral to the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School (CRLI). A federal court complaint has now been filed on behalf of Ms. Dinges, and her daughter, India, by CRLI Student Attorneys Sarah Hall and Anna Silk, and Professor Michael Steinberg, Director of CRLI.
The facts, which are more troubling than the brief summary above, are set forth in greater detail in the federal court complaint.
As to the legal theories of liability, the complaint alleges a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1982 (Count I). This statute was originally enacted as part of Section 1 of the Civil Rights Act of 1868. It sets forth the bedrock fair housing anti-discrimination mandate: “All citizens of the United States shall have the same right, in every State and Territory, as is enjoyed by white citizens thereof to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold and convey real and personal property.” As held by numerous courts, this law prohibits racial harassment that prevents a citizen from continuing to lease or "hold" occupancy in their residence. It is sad that after more than 150 years claims still need to be brought under this bedrock civil rights provision.
The complaint also include a claim under Michigan’s Ethnic Intimidation Act, M.C.L. § 750.147b(3) (Count II), which provides a right to bring a private cause of action and recover treble (or triple) damages. Additional claims in the complaint are for intentional infliction of emotional distress (Count III), negligent infliction of emotional distress (Count IV), and negligence (Count V).
The federal court case has been assigned to the Hon. Linda V. Parker, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Ms. Dinges initially contacted the Region V of HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO). HUD’s Region V FHEO office serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. HUD’s Region V FHEO office, in turn, referred Ms. Dinges to the Fair Housing Center. The Center appreciates HUD’s referral and the critically important Congressional funding that makes possible the investigation and enforcement of these types of violations.
