stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2021-10-17 03:34 pm
stevenpiziks) wrote2021-10-17 03:34 pm
Yet Another Pride Flag Update
When last we heard about the Pride flag fight, the HOA was still telling us to take it down, to which Darwin and I replied, "The rules say we get a hearing with the board when we're accused of a rules violation. We haven't had a hearing yet."
And we didn't hear anything else. For weeks. We wondered if the HOA had decided to drop the issue.
Nope! We finally got a text from K---, a board member, who offered us a hearing on a particular Tuesday evening. R--, the president, and J--, the board member who had started the Pride flag fight, wouldn't be there, which I found very interesting. However, the other three board members would attend, and that constituted a quorum. Darwin and I agreed to the meeting.
We weren't sure where the board would land with this. Darwin and I had a number of arguments marshaled--that the board had failed to enforce the flag rule when other co-owners violated it and we were clearly being targeted due to our sexual orientation; that J-- had made a number of blatantly discriminatory and homophobic comments about us and our Pride flag while speaking as the board vice-president; that the board had only changed the flag rule to make it more restrictive when our Pride flag went up, which meant they knew our flag wasn't a violation.
Additionally, remember, we're the guys who arranged for the rescue of the feral kittens living under the shed. I was careful to post flyers, complete with adorable kitten photos, around the complex to update everyone on what had happened. So if the board ruled against us, they would be ruling against the guys who help stray kittens. Not very good for the board's image!
Finally, if the board ruled against us, we intended to take the flag down for a single day, then put it back up. When the inevitable complaint came, we planned to say, "The complaint about our flag came in under the old flag rule, and that complaint was only recently resolved. If you feel we're in violation of the NEW flag rule, you can create a complaint, of course--and start the process from the beginning. Do note that this includes sending a hard copy letter to us by registered mail, and we will demand yet another board hearing. And the rules and regulations say that the first violation of any rule results in no penalty whatsoever. Just thought we'd say."
(Side note: a second violation results in a $25 fine. Ooo! If it went this far, Darwin and I planned to continue flying the flag and requiring the HOA to go through every single step from the beginning, including holding more hearings. It would totally be worth $25 to make them jump through hoops.)
Anyway, we had all this set up and ready to go.
And then we got a text from K---. The meeting was being postponed. He didn't say why, and he didn't give a postponement date.
Darwin and I think one of two things happened. Either a board member had a conflict with that time (and without at least three board members, they can't conduct business); or at least one board member said, "Why are we doing this? No one cares about the damn Pride flag except J--. Just drop it!"
It's been a couple weeks, and we haven't gotten a notice about a new meeting time. And the Pride flag continues to fly.
And we didn't hear anything else. For weeks. We wondered if the HOA had decided to drop the issue.
Nope! We finally got a text from K---, a board member, who offered us a hearing on a particular Tuesday evening. R--, the president, and J--, the board member who had started the Pride flag fight, wouldn't be there, which I found very interesting. However, the other three board members would attend, and that constituted a quorum. Darwin and I agreed to the meeting.
We weren't sure where the board would land with this. Darwin and I had a number of arguments marshaled--that the board had failed to enforce the flag rule when other co-owners violated it and we were clearly being targeted due to our sexual orientation; that J-- had made a number of blatantly discriminatory and homophobic comments about us and our Pride flag while speaking as the board vice-president; that the board had only changed the flag rule to make it more restrictive when our Pride flag went up, which meant they knew our flag wasn't a violation.
Additionally, remember, we're the guys who arranged for the rescue of the feral kittens living under the shed. I was careful to post flyers, complete with adorable kitten photos, around the complex to update everyone on what had happened. So if the board ruled against us, they would be ruling against the guys who help stray kittens. Not very good for the board's image!
Finally, if the board ruled against us, we intended to take the flag down for a single day, then put it back up. When the inevitable complaint came, we planned to say, "The complaint about our flag came in under the old flag rule, and that complaint was only recently resolved. If you feel we're in violation of the NEW flag rule, you can create a complaint, of course--and start the process from the beginning. Do note that this includes sending a hard copy letter to us by registered mail, and we will demand yet another board hearing. And the rules and regulations say that the first violation of any rule results in no penalty whatsoever. Just thought we'd say."
(Side note: a second violation results in a $25 fine. Ooo! If it went this far, Darwin and I planned to continue flying the flag and requiring the HOA to go through every single step from the beginning, including holding more hearings. It would totally be worth $25 to make them jump through hoops.)
Anyway, we had all this set up and ready to go.
And then we got a text from K---. The meeting was being postponed. He didn't say why, and he didn't give a postponement date.
Darwin and I think one of two things happened. Either a board member had a conflict with that time (and without at least three board members, they can't conduct business); or at least one board member said, "Why are we doing this? No one cares about the damn Pride flag except J--. Just drop it!"
It's been a couple weeks, and we haven't gotten a notice about a new meeting time. And the Pride flag continues to fly.