A federal court rules that the Town of Framingham has violated federal housing law in blocking housing opportunities for people with disabilities.
The court case, South Middlesex Opportunity Council v. Town of Framingham, is symbolic of the resistance to community services by some MetroWest residents. From the turn of the century, some residents and Framingham town officials had created a hostile operating environment for SMOC and other social service agencies, despite their demonstrated successes in programming. This particular controversy began when the state Department of Public Health asked SMOC to expand its substance use treatment programming and SMOC moved to purchase new property in Framingham. Opponents used fear mongering tactics to villainize the program participants and employed political strategies to make the purchase, development, and use of the new property more onerous. SMOC filed a civil action in 2007 alleging the town violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In the 2009 summary judgment hearing, the judge says, "Now, people don't like the projects in Framingham. All right. It's America; they can say whatever they want, except when they are public officials who... interfere with the lawful exercise of rights by those who have particular protections." In 2010 the federal court finds in favor of SMOC.
