Discrimination and Your Rights

Overview

The Civil Rights Enforcement Agency (CREA) is committed to comply with all City of St. Louis Ordinances aimed at outlawing any form of discrimination and ensuring inclusion and participation in City of St. Louis programs and services.

Discrimination Related City Ordinances

• Ordinance No. 67119 outlaws discrimination in:
  • Provision of Housing or Realty
  • Employment
  • Public Accommodations.
• Ordinance 68715 outlaws discrimination against anyone based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
• Ordinance 69953 outlaws discrimination against anyone based on their legal source of income, which includes Section 8.
• Ordinance 70390 outlaws discrimination based on their nuisance calls for service, if such calls are the result of alleged domestic violence or stalking.
• Ordinance 71074 prohibits employers in the City from basing job hiring and promotion decisions on an applicant’s criminal history. Learn more about the "Ban the Box" ordinance.

Discrimination is when

• You are treated differently from others in a similar situation due to being the member of a protected class (see list below)
• Your request for a reasonable accommodation due to a disability is refused without a valid reason
• You are retaliated against for standing up for your rights
• You have been retaliated against for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing an unlawful practice prohibited by a federal, state, or local law.

Federal and State of Missouri laws outlaw discrimination based on one or more of the following protected classes:

• Race
• Color
• National Origin
• Disability
• Sex
• Religion
• Familial Status (children under 18)
• Age (in Employment)

What to Do

If you feel you have been discriminated against, begin by:

Reporting Discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodation.

Additional Resources

Or a complainant may file their discrimination complaint directly with a Federal Agency through the following:

• Housing complaints: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Employment complaints: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Civil rights complaints: U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division