[Amended 9-28-2009 by Ord. No. 53-2009]
A. Legislative findings.
(1) The population of the City consists of people of many races, colors, religions, ancestries, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, national origins, ages, sex and familial status. Some suffer from handicaps. Others have previously filed charges of discrimination with the Commission of Human Relations or a similar state or federal agency. Some of these citizens, for one or more of the above mentioned reasons, are discriminated against in employment opportunities, places of business, public accommodations, resort, recreation and amusement, housing facilities and the obtaining of loans and the extending of credit for housing accommodations.
(2) Discrimination because of race, color, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, sex, familial status, handicap or previous opposition to individual discriminatory practices is contrary to the constitutions, laws and policies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States of America.
(3) Discrimination in employment prevents the gainful employment of segments of the residents of the City, tends to impair the City's productive capacity, reduces the public revenues, imposes substantial financial burden upon the public for relief and welfare, and tends to create breaches of the peace and depressed living conditions which breed crime, vice, juvenile delinquency and disease, and is detrimental to the public safety, economic growth and general welfare of the City.
(4) Discrimination in housing results in overcrowded, segregated areas with substandard, unsafe, and unsanitary living conditions, which cause increased mortality, disease, crime, vice and juvenile delinquency, fires and risk of fire, intergroup tensions and other evils, all of which increase the cost of government and reduce the public revenues, and result in injury to the public safety, health and welfare of the City.
(5) Discrimination in places of public accommodation, resort, recreation, amusement and places of business, causes humiliation, embarrassment and inconvenience to residents and visitors of the City, tends to create breaches of the peace, intergroup tensions and conflicts and similar evils, and is detrimental to the public safety, general welfare and economic growth of the City.
B. Declaration of policy.
(1) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City, in the exercise of its powers for the protection of the public safety and the general welfare, for the maintenance of peace and good government and for the promotion of the City's trade, commerce and manufacture, to assure the right and opportunity of all persons to participate in the social, cultural, recreational and economic life of the City and to insure equal opportunity for all persons to live in decent housing facilities, free from restrictions because of race, color, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, sex, familial status, handicap or previous filing of a complaint of discrimination.
(2) To accomplish these goals, it shall be the public policy of the City to prohibit discrimination because of race, color, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, sex, familial status, handicap or previous filing of a complaint of discrimination in employment, housing and places of business, public accommodation, resort, recreation or amusement.