DRACONIAN POLICY

I was disturbed by "Zero tolerance eviction law argued before high court"
(The Examiner, Feb. 20), and the eviction of four Oakland tenants.

The article reports the 1998 policy encourages tenants to intervene with
their drug-using relatives; failure to do so results in eviction, and law
abiding citizen move-ins.

In the article, the AARP reported, "More than 1.7 million families headed
by people over 61 live in government-subsidized housing." The government
should consider the ramifications when entire families are penalized for
the actions of one member.

The increase in punitive action against entire families will only
exacerbate social problems; homelessness, displacement of the elderly,
school dropouts, and a possible increase of children in foster care.

Does the federal government really want to be implicated in this possible
outcome?

Vivian Ross,

The City