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Landlord Accused of Refusing to Rent to African-Americans
A landlord in East Moline, Ill. has been charged by the Department of Housing and Urban Development with a violation of the Fair Housing Act for refusing to rent a townhouse to African-Americans on the basis of their race.
According to HUD’s investigation, Doris Rofrano ran a rental ad in the local newspaper from Aug. 20-26 and agreed to provide Carol Collins and her son with the keys to the property so they could view it when she was unable to show it on her own because she uses a wheelchair. When Collins showed up to retrieve the keys, Rofrano, apparently surprised to see that she was African-American, said, “I do not rent to colored people.”
Collins persuaded Rofrano to let her see the apartment by falsely telling her that her husband was Caucasian. After visiting the townhouse with her son, who was seeking to relocate to the area, they decided that it would be perfect for him. Collins tried unsuccessfully to pay the deposit and sign a lease, but Rofrano said she would not have a lease until her assistant came in the next day.
After continually rebuffing attempts by the Collins family to rent the property, Rofrano eventually told them it had been taken off the market and not to call again. However, the home was subsequently placed back on the market and rented to someone who was not African-American.
“I believed that I lived in a community that did not suffer from some of the social injustices found in larger communities,” said Collins.
“No family should be subjected to this type of humiliation when they are simply looking for a home,” said Floyd May, HUD’s general deputy assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity. “The right to live where you want, without regard to race, is one of the cornerstones of the Fair Housing Act.”
Rofrano was scheduled to have her case heard by an administrative law judge in the Chicago area on Oct. 25. The charge of housing discrimination carries a maximum civil penalty of $11,000 for a first offense, plus actual damages for the complaintant, injunctive or other equitable relief and attorneys fees.
The Fair Housing Act identifies seven classes protected by the law: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians; pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18) and disability.
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