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Residents rally to remove racist restrictions By Adam Zuvanich
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Stephanie Truong said she and her husband spent more than four years scouting out their dream home in Oak Forest. Not long after purchasing their property last summer, the Asian-American couple had a nightmarish realization. The language in the neighborhood’s deed restrictions, which were written in 1946,
said the Truongs weren’t even allowed to live in Oak Forest, let alone own a home there. One of the restrictions states that only people of the “Caucasian race” can reside in the community, unless they are employed as servants. “It was pretty shocking to see that,” Truong said. “I was pretty resolved to do something about it.” A year later, and more than 50 years after the racist
restriction was deemed unenforceable by the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, many of the Truongs’ neighbors are similarly moved to act. So are the homeowners in neighboring Garden Oaks, where the same provision remains in deed restrictions that were recorded in 1937, although the language has had lines drawn through it. There has been a groundSee Restrictions P. 8A
File photos Residents of Garden Oaks and Oak Forest are pushing to remove the racist language from the neighborhoods’ longstanding deed restrictions.
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INSIDE. Contributed photo Bob, the well-known stray dog that has frequented Garden Oaks and Oak Forest during the last five years, strolls through a scrapyard north of Pinemont Drive. He has settled there along with another stray named Rowdy.
Popular stray finds permanent home, companionship By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com Building abuzz. Two local artists have created “The Thought Hive” at their studio.
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Temporarily closed. Millie’s is closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
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Dog lovers in Garden Oaks and Oak Forest might be worried about Bob, the elusive and skittish stray who has attained celebrity status in the adjoining Northwest Houston neighborhoods. The black Labrador mix with a lopped-off tail has made regular appearances in those communities since 2015 – with residents often reporting their Bob sightings on social media – but he stopped coming around in February. Concerned citizens will be glad to know that Bob is doing OK – better than that, even. He finally found a forever home, along with companionship. Garden Oaks resident Linda Sparks, who has kept tabs on Bob and cared for him since he started visiting her street, said he has been staying at a spacious scrapyard north of Pinemont Drive. That’s where he had been spending his nights, and now he’s there all the time. Bob hasn’t left, Sparks said, because he’s become such good pals with a pit bull named Rowdy who was taken in by the same scrapyard owner earlier this year. See Bob P. 5A
Person of interest. Police are investigating a death at a local adult video store.
Contributed photo Rowdy, a pit bull, is a stray that was taken in by the owner of a scrapyard north of Pinemont Drive.
It’s been more than two years since the Garden Oaks Maintenance Organization (GOMO) filed for bankruptcy, which prompted nearly 450 current and former property owners in the neighborhood to file claims against the homeowners association in an attempt to recoup the transfer fees they paid upon purchasing their properties. The total amount of Williams those claims exceeds $1.4 million, but they might not get any of it back. And if that happens, the bankruptcy case will have been costly to the neighborhood and ultimately unnecessary. Houston attorney Randy Williams, appointed as GOMO trustee after its bankruptcy case was converted from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 last June, filed an omnibus objection to those claims last week in federal bankruptcy court. Williams argued that the claims should be disallowed because they are either baseless or time barred under the law. GOMO filed for bankruptcy after it was found to not have the authority to collect transfer fees in a 2016 state district court case against homeowners Peter and Katherine Chang, because it violated the Texas Property Code when it added the fee provision to Garden Oaks’ deed restrictions in the early 2000s. But in his filing last week, Williams asserted that the ruling applies only to the Changs and not the other homeowners in the neighborhood, meaning they have no legal basis for requesting a refund of their transfer fees. Williams also claimed the statute of limitations for the property code violation expired after 180 days, which was not brought up by GOMO’s defense in the case against the Changs. According to last week’s court filings, those who made claims against GOMO See GOMO P. 8A
Garcia receives Nell Baham Achievement Award By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
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THE INDEX. Church....................................................... 4A Classifieds.............................................. 5A Coupons. ................................................. 3B Food/Drink/Art................................... 7A Obituaries.............................................. 4A Opinion. ................................................... 3A Public Information......................... 4B Puzzles...................................................... 3A
Claims against GOMO could be disallowed in bankruptcy case
Contributed photo Fifth-grade teachers from Sinclair Elementary and principal Lee Mashburn gave Emily Garcia, foreground, her Nell Baham Achievement Award after a virtual Zoom ceremony.
The Nell Baham Achievement Award has been given out 20 times at Sinclair Elementary School and, despite obstacles presented by COVID-19 and social distancing, the 21st year was no exception. Fifth grader Emily Garcia was presented with her award – virtually – by the award’s namesake, longtime educator Nell Baham. Garcia is the daughter of Nadia and David Garcia and has a younger
brother, Ian. She will attend Frank Black Middle School in the fall. “Emily is an ideal student who has set high goals for herself and has a passion for working with younger children,” fifth-grade teacher Sarah White said. Students who receive the prestigious award, which comes with a cash prize matched by Baham, must exhibit good citizenship traits, excel in academics and make worthy contributions to Sinclair and within the commu-
nity. It was established in 1999 in Baham’s honor by thenPTA president Jill Hlavinka to recognize her dedication to the education of children for more than three decades. Baham taught at Sinclair for more than half that time. The award presentation was part of a Zoom promotion ceremony organized by the fifth-grade teachers and principal Lee Mashburn. In addition to a drive-by paSee Achievement P. 5A