>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO
"METROFOCUS."
I'M JENNA FLANAGAN.
SEGREGATION ON LONG ISLAND.
ACCORDING TO A STUDY CONDUCTED
BY BROWN AND FLORIDA STATE
UNIVERSITY, ALTHOUGH LONG ISLAND
HAS BECOME MORE RACIALLY
DIVERSE, IT CONTINUES TO BE ONE
OF THE MOST SEGREGATED REGIONS
IN THE COUNTRY.
RANKING TENTH IN TERMS OF THE
HIGHEST LEVELS OF SEGREGATION
BETWEEN BLACKS AND WHITES.
NOW A NEW HOUSING PLAN PROPOSED
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT, IF ADOPTED,
MAY MAKE THE SITUATION EVEN
WORSE, AS MANY CIVIL RIGHTS
ADVOCATES FEAR IT COULD LEAD TO
EVEN MORE HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
IN THE REGION.
HERE WITH MORE ON THIS IS ELAINE
GROSS, PRESIDENT OF ERASE
RACISM.
ELAINE, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> SO FIRST I JUST WANT YOU TO
QUICKLY PAINT SORT OF A PICTURE
FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE
FAMILIAR WITH THE SEGREGATION
THAT ACTUALLY EXISTS EVEN IN
2019 ON LONG ISLAND.
>> WELL, THE HISTORY OF LONG
ISLAND INCLUDES WHAT IS CALLED
STRUCTURAL RACISM.
FOR THE COMMUNITY OF LEVITTOWN,
THERE WERE -- THERE WERE
DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES THAT
WOULD NOT ALLOW PEOPLE WHO WERE
NOT WHITE, NAMELY AFRICAN
AMERICANS, TO LIVE IN THAT
COMMUNITY.
AND THE INTENT WAS ACTUALLY TO
KEEP BLACKS OUT IN PERPETUITY
BECAUSE THERE WERE RACIAL
COVENANTS IN THE DEEDS THAT EVEN
IF A WHITE PERSON HAD PURCHASED
A HOME, THEY COULD NOT RESELL TO
A BLACK PERSON.
SO THAT HISTORY HAS REALLY
SHAPED LONG ISLAND AND THE
CONTINUING HOUSING
DISCRIMINATION HAS PERPETUATED
THE SEGREGATION.
>> AND HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE
DIVIDE THAT WE SEE TODAY BETWEEN
BLACKS AND WHITES?
OF COURSE A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK
ABOUT THE WEALTH GAP, THE
HOUSING GAP, ET CETERA.
HOW DOES THAT AFFECT AND
PERPETUATE THOSE ISSUES?
>> WELL, I'LL JUST MENTION, WE
HAVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, 125 OF THEM
THAT ARE PRIMARILY RACIALLY
SEGREGATED, AND WE LOOKED AT
SOME STATS BETWEEN 2004 AND 2016
WHICH SHOWED THAT WE STARTED OUT
WITH FIVE INTENSELY SEGREGATED
SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND WE ENDED
UP WITH 11.
SO MORE THAN DOUBLING.
AND THAT IS 90 TO 100% STUDENTS
OF COLOR.
SO IT HAS BROAD IMPACTS.
THIS HOUSING SEGREGATION HAS
BROAD IMPACT ON THE -- ON THE
WEALTH IN COMMUNITIES, ON THE
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SCHOOLS, ET
CETERA.
>> SO, THEN, WHAT IS THIS NEW
PROPOSAL FROM HUD THAT WE'RE
HEARING ABOUT THAT MIGHT
ACTUALLY EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM?
BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THE ROLE
OF THE GOVERNMENT USUALLY, LIKE
BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION
WOULD BE A GOOD EXAMPLE IS TO
SORT OF FIX THESE PROBLEMS.
WHY IS THIS PROPOSAL PERHAPS
GOING MAKE IT WORSE?
>> IT WOULD MAKE IT EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO BE
SUCCESSFUL WITH THEIR LAWSUITS,
FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THEY WOULD
HAVE TO PROVE THAT THE PARTY
INTENDED TO DISCRIMINATE.
AND THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO.
THAT'S WHY DISPARATE IMPACT HAD
BEEN THE RULE OF LAW, HAS BEEN
USING CASE LAW SUCCESSFULLY,
BECAUSE IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR
A PLAINTIFF TO FIND AN OCCASION
WHERE THE DEFENDANT ACTUALLY
SAID I'M DOING THIS
INTENTIONALLY TO DISCRIMINATE
AGAINST YOU.
THIS RULE IS EVEN MORE
INSIDIOUS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT A
DEFENDANT COULD SAY IS THE
PRACTICE THAT WE ARE THAT WE'RE
DOING IS REALLY STANDARD
INDUSTRY PRACTICE, AND THAT
COULD BE HELD UP AS OKAY, THEN,
WHAT YOU DID IS OKAY, EVEN
THOUGH THE RESULT WAS
DISCRIMINATORY.
SO THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT
THAT PEOPLE SAY WE BELIEVE IN
THE FAIR HOUSING ACT.
WE BELIEVE IN DISPARATE IMPACT.
THAT IS A LEGITIMATE AND IT IS A
PROVEN WAY OF BEING ABLE TO STOP
PEOPLE FROM DISCRIMINATING.
>> SO, THEN, WITH THIS NEW HUD
POLICY, WHAT IS IT THAT YOUR
GROUP, ERASE RACISM IS FIGHTING
AGAINST?
>> SO FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE
ASKING AS MANY PEOPLE AS
POSSIBLE TO COMMENT ON THIS
PROPOSED CHANGE, THIS PROPOSED
RULE BECAUSE WE HAVE A COMMENT
PERIOD UNTIL OCTOBER 19th WHEN
THE PUBLIC CAN SAY THAT THEY ARE
AGAINST THIS.
OF COURSE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT
THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO IN
RESPONSE, BUT WE AT LEAST NEED
TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD AROUND
THIS ISSUE.
SO ERASE RACISM AND OTHER CIVIL
RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS, MANY OTHER
GROUPS ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO
DO THIS.
THEY CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO
GET LINKED IN TO PUT IN A
COMMENT.
OUR WEBSITE IS
WWW.ERASERACISMNY.ORG.
IF THEY KNOW HOW TO USE THE
FEDERAL SYSTEM, GO TO THE
FEDERAL DIRECTLY AND PUT IN A
COMMENT.
BUT WE ARE ALSO FINDING WAYS
LOCALLY AND AT THE STATE LEVEL
TO TRY TO PROMOTE FAIR HOUSING
AND, YOU KNOW, DESPITE THE FACT
THAT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IS BACKING AWAY, IS ROLLING BACK
THOSE PROTECTIONS.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS
ORGANIZING RESIDENTS.
ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WAS
SUCCESSFUL WITH DISPARATE
IMPACT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE TOWN
OF HUNTINGTON, WHEN THE
PLAINTIFFS WERE SAYING TO THE
TOWN WE WANT TO BUILD SOME
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NOT IN THE
SEGREGATED AREA, BUT IN SOME
OTHER AREAS THAT HAVE SOME
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES.
WELL, THEY HAD TO GO TO COURT
BECAUSE THE TOWN WANTED TO MAKE
THEM STAY IN A SEGREGATED AREA
FOR THE HOUSING.
THEY WON THAT CASE, BUT IT HAS
TAKEN A VERY LONG TIME.
I MEAN, IT'S OVER A DECADE.
AND SO THE HOUSING HASN'T BEEN
BUILT YET, BUT THE COURT RULED
THAT DISPARATE IMPACT WAS THE
CAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION, THAT IT
WOULD PERPETUATE SEGREGATION,
AND SO THEREFORE THE TOWN COULD
NOT DO THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT
THAT PEOPLE SAY WE BELIEVE IN
THE FAIR HOUSING ACT.
WE BELIEVE IN DISPARATE IMPACT.
THAT IS A LEGITIMATE AND IT IS A
PROVEN WAY OF BEING ABLE TO STOP
PEOPLE FROM DISCRIMINATING.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE TOWN OF
OYSTER BAY, THEY HAD A POLICY
THAT SAID IF YOU ALREADY LIVE IN
THE TOWN, THEN YOU HAVE ACCESS
TO SOME OF THE HOUSING.
WELL, OYSTER BAY HAS 3% BLACK
PEOPLE LIVING THERE AND ONLY 1%
OF THAT 3% WERE INCOME ELIGIBLE
FOR THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN
THE TOWN.
SO THERE WAS A DISPARATE IMPACT,
BECAUSE THERE ARE ALL THESE
OTHER BLACK PEOPLE WHO DON'T
LIVE IN THE TOWN WHO WERE INCOME
ELIGIBLE, AND THEY WOULD BE
BLOCKED FROM BEING ABLE TO
ACCESS THAT HOUSING.
SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PUT THE
SIGN UP THAT SAYS NO BLACKS COME
INTO THIS HOUSING, BUT THEY GET
TE SAME RESULT, A
DISCRIMINATORY RESULT.
>> LISTEN, I WANT TO THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND
BRINGING OUR ATTENTION TO THIS
VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE UNFOLDING
ON LONG ISLAND.
WE'LL OF COURSE BE CHECKING BACK
IN WITH YOU AND WITH OTHER
PEOPLE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE
OUTCOME OF THIS DECISION IS.
