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REGULAR MEETING JULY, 10, 2006
<br />happen tonight, this is going around the country, and at that time, they were assured that
<br />there was not a homosexual agenda on this issue. But last year in June, he was in San
<br />Francisco for a number of weeks, and the news had a lot about what is in the current
<br />California legislature, about teaching homosexuality, to the kindergarten through fourth
<br />grade children. This is an important issue and there is more to this, and we need to
<br />address the issue. This is not a civil rights issue, he implored the Council to continue to
<br />pursue it. He has Pastored in the South Bend area for twenty-years, and we are great
<br />people here, we are ahead of the curve, in many areas, but this is not the solution. He
<br />believes that there is another way this can be done. He encouraged the Council to oppose
<br />it and continue to explore it, Mr. Kelly and Ms. Pfeifer keep pushing the issue. He stated
<br />that he is opposed to discrimination in every form, but this is not a good solution to it.
<br />Please oppose this bill.
<br />Thomas Burnett, 18907 Cleveland Rd., South Bend, Indiana, stated that he wanted to talk
<br />about his rights tonight. He has not heard one other person even discuss this aspect of it.
<br />He believes that he has under the constitution the right of free association to associate
<br />with and do business with who he wants to for any reason that he wants to. He owns two
<br />houses in South Bend, and what the Council proposes tonight would make him civilly
<br />liable for substantial damages and attorney’s fees, if he refuses to rent one of his houses
<br />to a homosexual. He is disgusted by homosexuality, he believes that there are a few acts
<br />on the face of this earth that are worst than this, he equates this entirely with bestiality,
<br />incest, child molesting, all those are criminal acts. He sees no difference between
<br />homosexuality and these other criminal acts mentioned. He does not want to do business
<br />with these people, they are evil. The vary nature of what they do is disgusting. He is
<br />disgusted by these people. He feels that this impacts his rights terribly and is totally
<br />against this. He stated that the Council is going to have to look at what this is going to do
<br />not only to him, but to a lot of landlords in South Bend. There are a lot of landlords who
<br />are not going to want to rent to these people. We have already got a lot of vacant houses
<br />in this City, because there aren’t any jobs here. If you make more rules about this kind of
<br />thing, we are going to have a lot more of them. You can start with his two houses,
<br />because he would probably give the City the title, because he doesn’t want to do business
<br />with the homosexuals. He feels he has the right to do business and should have the right,
<br />and absolutely should have the right to do business with who he feels like he should do
<br />business with. He stated that he should not feel like he is put under legal constraints by
<br />the City of South Bend. He considers this proposal an outrage and urged the Council to
<br />reject this.
<br />Nancy M. Hartman, 1709 Lincolnway West, Mishawaka, Indiana, stated that she works
<br />in South Bend, Indiana. Ms. Hartman stated that she did not know if the gentleman that
<br />spoke before her stated whether he was a Christian or not? But she wanted to say that as
<br />a Christian, and a grandma, she stands here and asked the Council to vote against this
<br />proposal. As a Christian, she is in sales not management, she is called to love. Yet, she
<br />is also called to condemn behavior that scripture condemns. She has a lot of practice in
<br />doing this because she is a parent. She loves her kids, but sometimes there are times that
<br />they behave in such a way that she stated that she doesn’t like them. She wanted
<br />everyone here tonight that has spoken on the other side to know that she loves them, and
<br />cannot think of a thing that she wouldn’t do to help them, if they needed it. She stated
<br />that she has probably helped a lot of them at her work, without condemning or judging
<br />them. Ms. Hartman stated however, she is against this. She asked the Council to vote
<br />against this.
<br />Rev. Michael Patton, 707 Sherman Avenue, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he is a
<br />Pastor in this community. He is a leader as well in this community and is asking the
<br />Council not to support this ordinance. He believes that there are other ways that can
<br />solve the issues and the concerns that have been heard tonight. As a Pastor and a leader
<br />in this Community, there are many people within the Community that are a part of the
<br />GLBT group, that he has ministered to, people that he has had to support as well, and as
<br />well he does love them as human beings. He stated that he does not love the acts or
<br />behaviors of the GLBT community. He thinks that as he pleads to the spiritual side of
<br />everyone here and the natural side, please vote against the ordinance tonight, based on all
<br />of the information that the Council has heard from Mr. Mangan, and the No Special
<br />Rights Group. He believes that there needs to be more dialogue on this issue, through
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