Brooklyn, NY – A Brooklyn real estate agency systematically denied service to black people — going so far as to ask on the phone whether one prospective renter was Jewish — according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
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The pattern of blatant racial discrimination the suit alleges first came to light in April 2007, when Vanessa Lee, 43, called Bais Seller Real Estate in Midwood looking for a $1,250 Ocean Parkway two-bedroom rental. Lee, who is black, was told by a representative that a “nice” listing was available, the suit alleges — and then was asked if she was Jewish. After responding “no,” Lee waited for a promised call-back that never came.
Feeling something was amiss, Lee told the Fair Housing Justice Center about her experience. The nonprofit conducted a four-month investigation, sending African-American and white testers wearing recording devices to the firm.
The four black testers were asked to fill out forms and told they would be called back. The calls never came. The four white testers, on the other hand, were given solicitous service. A Bais broker, driving one of the white testers around Bensonhurst, allegedly remarked that it was a nice neighborhood because it had “white people” and there were “no drugs, no crimes, no nothing. Mostly Italians and Russians and some Jewish people.”
Lee returned to Bais five months later. A realtor told her about an apartment on Avenue O, then failed to call her back. That same day, a white tester asking for the same type of apartment was shown two, the lawsuit states.
Lee “was treated dismissively, like she wasn’t a human being,” her lawyer, Mariann Wang, said.
Though Bais broker Yury Skalet hadn’t yet heard about the lawsuit, he denied allegations of discrimination.
“It’s impossible someone did it here,” he said. “I don’t even know who Vanessa Lee is.”
Uri Skalet is a great guy!! I’ve known him for years. This is just some ploy by some bored people to get a lawsuit going. I wish you much Hatzlacha Uri.
I had a space to rent out in a nice Jewish neighborhood, a Black merchant contacted me for renting the commercial space right next to my office, so after I did a proper credit and background check that came back positive, i rented the space to him, he sits there for a couple of years, and I’m very happy with him, I’m ultra orthodox Jewish, he’s African American, and we get along very well, I never believed someone would try to discriminate against a prospective tenant because of race or color.
I would try to check out who this LEE is, maybe she is just one of the people just calling all day the brokers office to drive them crazy, in many cases brokers stop calling back certain people that appear not to be seriously interested in an apt. they’re just bored or lonely, so in order to keep themselves busy, they keep on responding to ads, and getting the brokers annoyed and fed up.
What is the relavence if the testers were bored or not? Racism is racism. Imagine the outcry if they refused to rent to Jews!! How can you call yourself frum and be a racist?
11:21 let me explain to you something. It is not illegal for an owner of a property to be a racist and not want to rent out his apt to a certain person. It is illegal for a company to discriminate. Realtors are only representatives of these owners if the owners told them they don’t want say a jewish, irish, black, muslim, etc.. etc.. it is not their fault
I’m anonymous 10:39, I never justified discrimination of any sort, I just threw in my experience of years in sales, no difference if the annoyers are Jewish white or black, it’s nerve wrecking and killing the day of the busy brokers, and you can’t judge a broker when he stops returning phone calls to those nerve wreckers, nothing to do with race color or religion.
if race was a factor, then the story is totally different.
what about ads that request ‘shomer shabbos’. are they discriminating against unorthodox jews. Is that legal ?
I believe it is legal for an owner/occupier of a 2or 3 family house to be selective in his choice of tenants. However a rrealty company or owner of an apartment house is not allowed to discriminate.
As for 10:34 AM, you had a commercial tenant. You might have been a little more picky if he was going to live in your house together with your kids etc.
exactly where is the crime by the frum? i think not
I have several rental units that I rent out, and I gota say that I am not racist in principle but I wouldn’t rent it to minoritys with a higher preceived crime rate cuz it lowers the value of the unit and in most cases they leave the units in poor condition and don’t pay rent on time and scream RACIST when u try to evict them.Of course it varys vastly case by case.if anybody wants to sue me for this they could take me on cuz its perfectly legal even though it might offend some people-thats life, life isn’t fair.
According to the article, the only ones not called back happend to be black. And since when do we judge our frumkeit by secular laws. For people who yell anti-semitism or anti-frum at every slight, real or imagined, to discrimate against others ( black, not frum etc ) is wrong
As a matter of fact, “steering” or discrimination of any kind in housing is illegal in the State of New York, either by realtors or owners. The state actually sends people out to check up on realtors. Owners, of course, have more leeway but an ad saying “Shomer Shabbos only” is no diffrent from one saying “Whites Only”. Both are illegal and subject the advertiser to penalties. I doubt any legitimate publication would accept such an ad.
Unfortunately, this stuff does happen. Lets not kid ourselves. Its wrong but it happens anyway. All the big owners do it. Maybe they have their reasons but its very stupid if its against the law.
I would guess it did happen like they say but its probably the fault of the staff not necesarily the building owner. Still, its his neck on the block.
Only buildings of 4 or more apartments are regulated and cannot discriminate. that’s the law. In your 1, 2 or 3 family house you can rent to anyone you want and you can tell the prospective tenant that you don’t like him because you want Shomer Shabbos, White, Italian or whatever!
Coop buildings have a ‘board’ where you have to meet their requirements and they do discriminate regularly and get away with it; no law that they must sell to anyone who does not meet their criteria.
Then i guess same goes with condos, since they’re considered as one families.
If we countenance this, we have no right to complain when some suburb refuses to allow an eruv.
I usually get a hard time from jewish real estate companies because i am married to a goy.
not nice
Is it racist if the TSA wants to stop and search all Arab looking men age 18 – 40???? stop being a liberal and start realizing the truth!!!
Nu? If every Chareidi bochur was being searched at airports because of the few who smuggle drugs, would you be saying that was anti-semitism?
of course I wouldnt like it but I would understand. it is the people who have something to hide that dont want it done!
I as a homeowner will rent only to a shomer shaboss ( someone who observes the shaboss laws ) Its not because I discriminate its just because its a better exemple for my kid and it more conviniance for a frum jewish family ..If the black person would be shomer shaboss IE observent I would not have a problem. We have black jews living together with us . In my shul there are a few black jews..so the issue is not as people its about saftey and conviniance
That is why the law allows for this in small, owner-resident cases (i.e. renting out part of a house, or a duplex).
If you owned a 20 apartment building, you wouldn’t be able to do that, even if your family lived in it.
bais real estate are honorable people….stop the blood lible
Yury is one of the most honest, reputable people I know.
This is a joke! Yury S. is a lover of all people and would not intentionally discriminate.
i agree now go put a good name for him on yelp because some liars put horrible untrue mean comments, so please go put a good name out there for Uri who has done nothing wrong at all!