Discrimination Rears It's Ugly Head

Blacks in New Orleans face a new problem of an
old nature-discrimination. Since post Katrina
revitalization of the city blacks have had a tough
go at findind housing and as residents continue to
return the situation grows worse. My call says that
violation of discrimination laws should be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law especially since these violators
are taking advantage of the current judicial situation in the area.
Check out the article and then weigh-in on this issue.



African Americans seeking rental housing in the New Orleans metropolitan area face significant discrimination and fewer accommodations to choose from since Hurricane Katrina, a report released Tuesday found. In 6 out of 10 transactions, African Americans faced less favorable treatment than comparably qualified whites, the report said."For Rent, Unless You're Black," a study by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, surveyed 40 properties in the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany and St. Bernard.

Race-based housing discrimination exists in many U.S. cities, but discrimination against blacks in New Orleans was particularly egregious given the housing shortage, said James Perry, executive director of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center.The shortage resulting from the loss of homes in hurricanes Katrina and Rita is already difficult to overcome, Perry said."It's unfathomable that on top of that, African Americans have to deal with discrimination," he added.

The storms destroyed more than 200,000 homes and apartments in Louisiana — the majority of them in the New Orleans metropolitan area — according to Louisiana statistics. The study comes as fair housing advocates say some local governments and politicians are using zoning and other policies to discourage poor and minority residents from living in their neighborhoods. Last fall, St. Bernard Parish passed an ordinance that required owners of single-family homes there, more than 90% of whom are white, to rent only to blood relatives — making it almost impossible for nonwhites to rent in the parish.

Faced with a legal challenge, the ordinance was repealed.Jefferson Parish politicians have passed a resolution aimed at limiting the construction of low-income units. In Orleans Parish, strong community opposition forced two councilwomen to drop a proposal to put a moratorium on building multifamily housing in their districts. Anthony Keck, president of the Greater New Orleans Housing Action Center board of directors, cited fair housing practices as crucial to New Orleans' recovery."In order to attract people back to the city, we really need to tackle housing discrimination," Keck said.In an investigation between September 2006 and April 2007, the fair housing action center followed black and white would-be renters as they tried to lease properties from private landlords.

The "testers" were from the same income bracket, on similar career paths and had matching family and rental histories, said Thena Robinson, the group's coordinator of investigations.





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