National Guardsman Claims Anti-War Landlady Won’t Rent Him An Apartment

A National Guardsman who served in combat overseas was unable to find peace at home when a peace activist landlady allegedly refused to rent him an apartment in Boston because of his military background.

Sgt. Joel Morgan, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran who also served in Guantanamo Bay, claims that the landlady left him a voice mail to the effect that renting to him would be a “conflict of interests” given her pacifist beliefs.

Morgan is suing in a Massachusetts trial court under a state law that makes it illegal for landlords to discriminate against veterans.

According to the Boston Herald, the landlady said that “It just is not going to be comfortable for us without a doubt. It probably would be better for you to look for a place that is a little bit less politically active and controversial.”

The property owner denies the allegations and says there is more to the story as to why she rented the place to someone else. She reportedly belongs to a civil rights/pacifist group called the Garden of Enlightenment.

Both sides will get their day in court assuming the case ever goes forward to trial. Most lawsuits get resolved in some kind of an out-of-court settlement, however.

Morgan, 29, is divorced with a young son and is in the process of trying to get on the Boston fire department.

Various federal laws also prohibit discrimination on the basis of military status and apply to National Guard members and reservists, as well as those serving on active duty in the armed forces.