George Bush Abandons Ranch in Favor of Formally "whites-only" Enclave

Abandoning any pretense of being a brush-clearing "rancher" in Crawford [the 1,600 acre "Crawford Ranch" was built and named in 2000 during the presidential primaries], George Bush will be moving into the posh Dallas suburb of Preston Hollow after his term ends in January. In fact, for twelve years the family has planned this relocation to follow immediately George Bush's official political tenure. A racially-restrictive covenant in Preston Hollow prohibited nonwhites from using and occupying specified properties until 2000, when it was invalidated. Racially-restrictive rules have been legally unenforceable since the Supreme Court's decision in Shelley v. Kraemer (1948), but Preston Hollow asserted segregation rights until just eight years ago. In 2000, the following "whites only" language was formally removed from the neighborhood association's covenant: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except these covenants shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant." Freestanding "servants quarters" must be placed "to the rear of the lot." In 2006 a federal judge found that Preston Hollow's elementary school district had attempted to undermine the desegregation decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) by using outdated "separate but equal" arguments. Preston Hollow, home to many of most weatlhy and powerful elite in Texas, boasts an average annual household income of $1.5 million.