Can I report my landlord for threatening me because of my religion?

The situation

I live in a small apartment complex in Ohio, and things have taken a scary turn over the last three weeks. Ever since I started wearing my religious headcovering more frequently to my job, my landlord, Mr. Henderson, has been making me feel extremely unsafe. On October 12th, when I was walking to my car, he followed me and made several aggressive comments about how my faith didn't belong in this neighborhood. Last Tuesday, he actually cornered me in the laundry room and told me that if I didn't stop 'flaunting' my religion, he would make sure I was forced out of my home by any means necessary. He didn't hit me, but he was shouting in my face and used a heavy flashlight to gesture threateningly. I already tried talking to the property management company via email on October 20th to report his behavior, but they just ignored my message and haven't responded at all. I am terrified to go outside or even check my mail now. I want to know if there are specific laws that protect me from this kind of intimidation and harassment since it's clearly targeting my religious beliefs while I am trying to live in my rented home. Is this something the police or a court can actually punish him for?

Detailed Analysis

Under the Fair Housing Act, your landlord, Mr. Henderson, is prohibited from harassing you because of your religious beliefs. Specifically, the law makes it "unlawful to coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of... any right granted or protected"^[1]. This means that because you have a right to live in your home without discrimination, Mr. Henderson cannot use threats to make you feel unsafe or force you out.

Furthermore, the law provides serious penalties for those who use force or threats to target people based on religion. The statute states that it is a violation for anyone to "willfully injures, intimidates or interferes with, or attempts to injure, intimidate or interfere with... any person because of his... religion... and because he is or has been... occupying... any dwelling"^[2]. This applies directly to your situation because Mr. Henderson's aggressive comments on October 12th and his actions in the laundry room last Tuesday appear to be attempts to intimidate you specifically because of your religious headcovering.

The law also addresses the use of weapons during such intimidation. If a person's acts of intimidation "include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon"^[2], the penalties can increase significantly. Whether the heavy flashlight Mr. Henderson used to gesture threateningly qualifies as a "dangerous weapon" is a matter for a court to decide.

While these federal laws provide strong protections, it is unsettled whether the property management company's failure to respond to your October 20th email constitutes a separate legal violation or if they can be held liable for Mr. Henderson's individual actions. State, provincial, or local laws may add further rules, such as Ohio-specific civil rights protections, which you should check.

Statutory Citations

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