Andrew Cuomo, the attorney general for the state of New York, accused landlords in a Brooklyn apartment complex of discriminating against black residents and potential tenants. The AG sued the owners and managers of 1648 - 50 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, saying that they were in violation of civil rights and fair housing laws by not showing their units to black applicants.
"These buildings failed the test. They violated the law," Cuomo said.
The suit was filed after a probe by Cuomo's office found that black and white test cases were given disparate treatment. Black applicants were often told that there were no apartments available, when in fact there were. The company, Golden Touch Management, has refused to comment on the case against them.
This is not the only Brooklyn property Cuomo has gone after. He has also reached a settlement with owners of another Brooklyn complex that was also accused of violating fair housing laws and failing to provide anti-discrimination training for their agents.
I am a New Yorker, and it looks like Andrew Cuomo has a very good chance to become the next governor of our state. A Cuomo win might be good for New Yorkers, who have grown disgruntled with the current governor, David Paterson. I spoke with Paterson yesterday on Al Sharpton's radio show, and to be truthful, I believe he is just as competent as Cuomo. In fact, Paterson's ability to overcome his blindness makes him even more impressive than Cuomo.
But when economic times get tough, people seek out new leadership. Cuomo is part of the fresh start that New Yorkers are looking for, and this anti-discrimination suit is likely going to help him eat in to Paterson's African-American base. But if the economy fails to recover early in Cuomo's term, his fate may be similar to Paterson's.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (17)
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By: Aster on 7/08/2010 9:51AM
Apparently you have never seen a dirty, filthy white person's property. Oh yes, they exist. Color has nothing to do with how a person maintains property. Don't be so narrow minded. I don't know where you live or how clean you keep things, but trust me, there are many, many black homes that are cleaner and better kept than yours.
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By: tonia on 7/08/2010 11:55AM
Obviously Bill has never seen the TV show 'Hoarders' and 'Animal Hoarders'...that is the nastiest way to live and yes...alot of those people are 'white'. Its sad and it's a problem...but come on Bill, please don't be ignorant. Let me ask you this, even though he is no longer here...would you rather prefer live next to Jeffery Dalhmer!!
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By: Solution5050 on 7/11/2010 8:39AM
You'd be surprised. I bet they would rather live next to Jeffrey Dahmer instead. That's how backwards their mentality is.
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By: David1 on 7/08/2010 1:35PM
I commend Cuomo for his actions even though I beleive they are politically motivated.
@ Aster. Don't waste your time with that teabag trash racist "BillSchrier" and whatever other name he spews his ignorant racist hate under. Like a lot of cowardly white racist they have all the courage in the world when they can spew their hate anonymously. I noticed since Obama became president a lot of white racist have targeted black blogs. I don't always agree with Boyce Watkins but he must be saying something right. He seems to be scaring the hell out of ignorant white racist like BillSchrier.
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By: Drag Dog on 7/11/2010 10:05AM
My boy Bill Schrier said : What's wrong with not wanting to show your units to blacks ?
Billy boy do you believe in good law & order ?
Billy boy, are we not a nation of laws ?
Billy boy, Fair Housing Laws provide a critical way to deter and counteract housing discrimination.
All the states in the U.S. have Fair Housing Laws along with the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title VIII. HUD enforces the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1968. Do you know what HUD is Billy boy ?
HUD is the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Are you still there Billy ? I don't want to loose you. Every bigot that I have met has the potential of becoming a true human being.
Billy you need to watch the movie titled Little Big Man. Even though Little Big Man betrayed Chief Crazy Horse his pronouncement about white people having the capacity to become human beings is telling.
Furthermore Billy, the United States Supreme Court in 1968 upheld the Constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 in the case of Jones vs. Mayer, Co. The court held that the Civil Rights Act of 1866, banned racial discrimination in housing by private as well as governmental, housing providers.
As you can see Billy Schrier we are a great nation of laws. Billy, we don't have the luxury of deciding which laws we want to obey or not to comply with. Billy we can't pick, and choose the laws we like, or don't like.
Billy, 40 per cent of the population of ungodly Europe was wiped out in the 13th & 14th century because of filth from their dirty rat + flea + lice infested Homes and bodies, coupled with a lack of taking baths.Billy, its called the Black Plague ( Black Death )Bubonic Plague, or the Great Plague.Also note Billy, that your Bubonic Plague killed 15 per cent of the population of London in 1665, and many of those nasty filthy immigrants from England came to these shores an infected the native indigenous people, and the Black African free & slaves with these dreaded diseases.
Yes its true billy, your ungodly ancestors made a pact with the devil, and that's the real reason why God took out his vengeance against the population of Europe.
Who are the people doing the discriminating against Black & Puerto Rican applicants in Brooklyn, New York :
1.American Jews, & Foreign born Jews
2. Italian Americans
3. Indians from India and Arabs.
Aster, did I put Billy in his place ?
I said what the Professor Watkins would like to say, but can't say because of his fear of the master ( Syracuse University coming down hard on him. I have your back professor Watkins.
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By: BG on 7/08/2010 5:03PM
This is the problem with my black people.
Cuomo's move is politically motivated simple.
I am sick and tired of holding people responsible for the inborn squalid nature of black people.
I am black, and all I want in my neighborhood is cleanliness, peace and quietness. These are hard to enjoy in a predominantly black community.
Why are all these ignorant commentators don't see the facts when this is obvious and apparent rather than this I-am-black-nonsense.
Why can't you ignorant commentators compare and contrast a predominantly white neighborhood to a predominantly black neighborhood
Make a swap. Bring whites into a predominantly black community, and bring the blacks into a predominantly white community. Come back five years later and see how both have turned their neighborhood.
Take a taxi from the airport driven by a black driver, offer him a good tip and ask him to drive you to where you can get crack, weed, and prostitutes. Sit back and see which neighborhood he will drive you to. So stop all these Because-I-am-black-nonsense.
I live in an upscale white complex. White people walk their dogs peacefully and quietly. When their dogs approaches you, they give a command and the dog obeys. They pick up after their dogs. Avoid walking on the grass enriching the landscape. Know when to pack it up and retire into their apartments to get ready for the next day.
Black people will let their dogs poop by the stairs. When their dogs approaches you, it is safer for you to go another way. Black peoples dogs hears no command. A beautiful lady suffered laceration to her face in a dog attack. The face mangled. The dog owned by a black.
Black people with no remote gate opener will tail and in most cases damage the gate arm and the gate.
You have to have a remote key to enter the fitness center. Black people with no key will lay the foot mat underneath the door to leave it open and in some cases, gain entry through the window.
I arrived one day seeing many movers and Penske trucks: The whites are moving out, and my good black self is following.
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By: HoneyKone on 7/11/2010 6:19PM
Uncle Ruckus, is that you?? LOL
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By: Bengals Baby on 7/08/2010 5:21PM
I am with you Bill. I certainly would not rent my property to these filthy savages. I mean, Anything they touch, They ruin. That's just common knowledge.
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By: BG on 7/08/2010 9:24PM
I am with you on this. I am a black man that believes in discrimination if by design of the code, I have to live with black pigs that belong in the slum to begin with.
I don't want to come to my apartment with the smell of urine and the ugly scene of trash all over the complex.
So my fellow black people, go and get your own and patronize your own and stop living on white people off of their sweat. stop devaluing their investments.
Ask Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Cosby, Oprah, JZ, Usher, Janet Jackson, 50 cents to invest in real estates and rent to you. Ask P.Diddy instead of a useless waste of money invested in a $400.000 Maybach gift to a 16yrs. old, he could invest in real estates and rent to you all so that you can run down the properties.
Let white people enjoy their sweat, have your own.
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By: Redab48 on 7/10/2010 1:07PM
Have you ever seen Hoarders: this program is about 90% of white people making there home a trash dump.
You have only seen 10% of another races on this programs.
Believe me we all have our times when we dont do what we should but look at you own race and not others. Give everybody a fair chance to have a nice place to live....
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