The Parma Housing Racial Discrimination Remedy Revisited

In 1980, the city of Parma, Ohio, Cleveland's largest suburban city was found guilty of violating the Fair Housing Act. Along with the Gautreaux, Mt. Laurel, and Yonkers cases, the Parma case represents a longstanding remedy aimed at eliminating a pattern and practice of municipal discrimination in housing. It raises the issue of how far courts and the federal judiciary in particular, are willing and able to go in order to address systematic patterns of housing segregation.

This article reviews the original decision and its appeal, the implementation of the original remedy, and the more recent remedy and its prospects for success.