Donald Trump, Republican candidate for president, has minimized the Justice Department lawsuit against his firm for racial discrimination in the rental of their units. But he was wrong to make light of it. A new story by NBC News provides details.
Latest Buzz
MSNBC interviewed both a former rental agent for the Trump firm and Black individuals who were refused apartments. Stanley Leibowitz, the former agent, said that in 1963, a Black woman named Maxine Brown applied for an apartment in one of Trump’s buildings. Her application looked good, and Brown was calling Leibowitz daily to check on its status.
Then owner Fred Trump and Donald came by the office. Leibowitz asked what to do with the application. Fred Trump told Leibowitz:
“You know I don’t rent to the N-word. Put it in a drawer and forget about it.’
Leibowitz noted that Donald, then 17, was in the room, standing next to his father at the time. Donald also shook or nodded his head to indicate his agreement with his father.
Discrimination Complaints
Brown filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, which proceeded to a hearing against the firm. At the hearing, the firm offered Brown an apartment. More than 50 years later, she still lives there.
In 1973, Annette Gandy Fortt, a teacher in the New York City schools, applied for an apartment in one of the Trump firm’s buildings in Queens. The superintendent told her the unit had been rented. Fortt went to the building twice to see the apartment, but she was turned away each time.
The New York City Human Rights Commission sent a tester out to the Queens building. The tester presented the same qualifications as Ms. Fortt except that she was white. The Trump firm offered the apartment to the white tester.
The Truth About The Racial Discrimination Case
Fortt’s racial discrimination case became part of the Justice Department’s lawsuit, which was settled in 1982. However, settling it wasn’t easy, as Donald claims. He and the Trump firm fought the case hard. Two years after it began, the Trumps and the Justice Department settled the case and entered into a consent decree which was aimed at preventing further discrimination.
But the consent decree did not end the matter. Three years later, the Justice Department took the Trump firm back to court for failure to comply with its dir. Unfortunately, the consent decree expired before a hearing could be held on the alleged violations.
A new Clinton campaign video says that the discriminatory policies continued after Fred retired from the firm and Donald became president.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvINgFq-3bQ
Featured image via YouTube screengrab.
