The City Council of Black Jack, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis) has rejected a measure allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction.
Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have three children and are not married.
The town's Planning and Zoning Commission proposed a change in the law, but the measure was rejected Tuesday by the City Council in a 5-3 vote.
"I'm just shocked," Shelltrack said. "I really thought this would all be over, and we could go on with our lives."
The current ordinance prohibits more than three people from living together unless they are related by "blood, marriage or adoption." The defeated measure would have changed the definition of a family to include unmarried couples with two or more children.
Mayor Norman McCourt said in a statement that those who do not meet the town's definition of family could soon face eviction. My question to the mayor is on what do you base your definition of family? To the citizens of Black Jack I say it's a shame. One that will hang over your town. This is yet another example of religion run amuck.
Black Jack's special counsel, Sheldon Stock, declined to say whether the city will seek to remove Loving and Shelltrack from their home.
We at The Tempest will continue to monitor this story as it unfolds.
