Notes: Real estate firm says man who made ‘deserving Blacks’ comment is no longer associated with the firm

Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!

🌧️ Today’s weather: Expect rain starting mainly after 9am with a high near 53, accompanied by breezy conditions as east winds of 9-14 mph increase to 15-20 mph in the afternoon, with gusts up to 32 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%, with new precipitation amounts ranging from half to three-quarters of an inch. The rainy conditions continue into Tuesday night, mainly before 1am, and could be heavy at times. Expect a low around 48, with southeast winds at 15-20 mph becoming west at 7-12 mph after midnight, and gusts as high as 31 mph. The chance of precipitation remains 100%, with an additional 1-2 inches of rainfall possible.

🚨 You need to know

After commenting at a city meeting on affordable housing going to ‘deserving Blacks,’ McEnearney Associates said that real estate agent Jud Burke is no longer associated with the company.

In a City Council public hearing on Zoning for Housing/Housing for All this weekend, Burke said:

I’m opposed to passing all of the programs at this time. I support the idea of affordable living, especially for deserving Blacks. I would hope that such programs are complemented by efforts to help them to work their way out of such housing and be full participants in the economy. There’s enormous goodwill throughout the country for such efforts that was unleashed in the last couple of years. My concern is that you may misjudge it or misuse it.

Burke was immediately questioned about the comment by City Council member John Chapman, who asked Burke to say who qualified as a “deserving Black.”

“We’ve been talking about the Blacks all my life who have been pushed, or not allowed, to participate in our economy and normal life in the way they are freely able to today,” Burke said, “but there are an awful lot that aren’t grabbing hold of it. We want to encourage them to do so and make sure they know we want them there and enable them to seize the opportunity.”

Burke was listed as a real estate agent with McEnearney Associates with a focus on residential/rental real estate in Alexandria. However, his profile has been removed from the company’s website.

On Twitter, McEnearney Associates said that Burke’s comments were not made on behalf of the company and that he is no longer affiliated with the firm.

The comments made by Mr. Burke at the public hearing in Alexandria do not align with our values at McEnearney. We are unequivocally committed to fair housing and inclusivity in our communities. While Mr. Burke spoke as a private citizen, he is no longer affiliated with our firm.

— McEnearneyAssociates (@McEnearney) November 20, 2023

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