B’klyn realtor won’t serve blacks: lawsuit

by amy zimmer / metro new york
JUN 27, 2008
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



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 to Metro.
“It’s impossible someone did it here,” he said। “I don’t even know who Vanessa Lee is

Voice of the People for June 18, 2008

Voice of the People for June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 17th 2008, 7:11 PM
Meanwhile, re Omar
Spring Hill, Fla.: Okay, Willie Randolph probably needed to go, but it could have been handled so much better. Now Mutt and Jeff Wilpon need to redeem themselves by getting rid of that fool Omar, who put this over-the-hill, underachieving mess together.
Steve Atkinson
Re Omar II
Brooklyn: If the Mets had a black general manager who hired 99% blacks or a white general manager who hired 99% whites, we'd be in the middle of a race war. Why are we ignoring the fact that Omar Minaya is favoring Latinos?
Rocco Deserto

Jury acquits R&B superstar R. Kelly on all counts in child porn case

Jury acquits R&B superstar R. Kelly on all counts in child porn case
BY RICH SCHAPIRO DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Updated Friday, June 13th 2008, 3:59 PM
Huh/AP
R. Kelly was angry when he arrived in court on Friday, but was happy when he left, having been cleared of all charges.
R&B star R. Kelly was cleared of child pornography charges Friday, ending a six-year saga for the mega-popular singer that threatened to land him in prison for 15 years.
After the foreman of the Chicago jury read the verdict, Kelly was visibly elated, dabbing his face with a handkerchief before embracing his lawyer.
The case hinged on a graphic, 27-minute sex tape that prosecutors said showed Kelly, 41, having sex with a girl as young as 13 at the time.
The key witness was a woman who said she participated in a ménage à trois with Kelly and the alleged victim.
Defense lawyers maintained that unlike Kelly, the man on the tape didn't have a large mole on his back. The alleged victim, now 23, also said she was not on the tape.
Prosecutors called 22 witnesses in the month-long trial, including several friends and family members of the alleged victim. All of them identified her as the girl on the tape having sex with Kelly.
In just two days, Kelly's lawyers called 12 witnesses. They included three relatives of the alleged victim who testified they did not recognize her as the female on the tape.
Despite his legal troubles, Kelly - who rose from poverty on Chicago's South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer - still retains a huge following, and his popularity has arguably grown in recent years.
The Grammy Award-winning artist is best known for his hits "I Believe I Can Fly" and "Bump N' Grind."
rschapiro@nydailynews