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HOUSING from page 1
became law, those who had been dis
criminated against had no form of
defense, Henderson said.
The Fair Housing Act created an
increase in discrimination com
plaints because more people became
aware of their rights, he said.
In the 1960s, many minorities
were forced to live in the same
neighborhood because of a process
called racial steering, Henderson
said.
Racial steering happens when
real estate agents that tencourage
minorities to buy property in a cer
tain area while discouraging white
people from living there, Henderson
said.
The area affected by racial steer
ing, known as the Malone neighbor
hood, is still heavily occupied by
minorities, said Barb Morley, former
president of the Malone
Neighborhood Association.
The Malone neighborhood cur
rently extends from O to Y streets
and 19th to 27th streets, she said.
Morley feels minorities are still
steered to the Malone neighborhood.
“I think there’s a lot of prejudice
still in Lincoln,” Morley said.
In the past, many people were
discouraged from living in the
Malone area because of its proximity
to the downtown and university areas
and the possibility of expansion in
those areas, Morley said.
But now, living near the areas is
viewed as convenient, Mprley said.
“What once was considered neg
ative is now positive,” she said.
Even though there’s still discrim
ination, the Malone neighborhood
continues to improve, she said.
“I think it’s the best place in
Lincoln to live,” she said. “I love the
people.”
Currently, several businesses that
. rent out apartments use practices that
enable them to decide whether to
rent to individuals without even see
ing them.
Vernon Anderson, leasing man
ager for Commercial Investment
Properties, which has 11 complexes
in Lincoln, said applications are
processed at a credit department.
The application department
processes the housing requests and
looks at rental history, income and
credit history.
’ The department investigates by
calling previous landlords and
places of employment as well as
examining credit history, Anderson
said.
“Most of the time they never see
the tenants,” Anderson said.
Tanya Tiater, a leasing consultant
at Colonial Heights Apartments, said
Colonial Heights processes rental
applications in a similar fashion.
Applications are faxed to a com
pany in South Dakota, which looks
at the prospective tenant’s employ
ment status, income and credit histo
ry
“The application doesn’t ask
what ethnicity you are,” Tiater said.
However, not all feel they’ve
been treated fairly, which could lead
them to file a discrimination com
plaint.
Complaints can be investigated
by the Commission on Human
Rights and the Nebraska Equal
Opportunity Commission, and indi
viduals may also choose to contact a
lawyer and go to court, said Larry
Williams, executive director of the
Commission on Human Rights.
In 1999, there were four com
plaints filed related to discrimina
tion and housing because of race,
Williams said.
Three cases were dismissed
because there was no reasonable
cause of discrimination, and one
case was settled.
Williams said the number of
cases filed in 1999 is not reflective
of the discrimination that is occur
ring.
The number may seem low
because many people are not aware
of what they can do if they feel
they’ve been discriminated against,
he said.
The Human Rights Commission
has been working hard to let people
know that there is a service available,
and it’s free of charge, he said.
Williams also said that in 1996,
23 cases were filed for discrimina
tion in housing.
“We’re not really sure why that
Housing Hassles
The Lincoln Commission on Human Rights has records of cases filed for housing
discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin,
retaliation, marital status, familial status and ancestry between 1980 and 1999.
1980 mmmis:-mmmmmmmm
1981 Ilf - ft If «h I a ft ,g ftft-ft'fl'ftg-ftft-g
1982 i ' s' 6 ls !•* ' s'f !'■ ft'#' t S 6 ft 8: g
1983 ISiiliiY fiili'iYY Wi ill- Ylff-f-;
1984 g'YVi*‘!8 a ftYr ,i'g a i a Yg a s a i g
'985 | ,ft fv' 8 ft 8 Sull i ft 1 i ft i-f I S I
1986 3 a Ilf I itM ‘I It! 8 ft
1987 y iy; 3 Y'lfi'sW ;«■ Y i ’
1988 y fill *1«-V'Y'ft' M i§ a ft
1989 H Y V.VVVft'jirY#'V
1990 a 8 V s g a s g s g s a
1991 V g. gig g g g ft* ft 3 g
1992 g g;;Y!§ Yft
1993
1994 H
1"5 g. g y: a i ft y igi
1"6 y.TTyyg % v$ y.y.si"g a y g y .»"* & i'yyi'
1"7 y:s::g":'g.v y- y -f y; y; y -g •
1"8 8 g" i" i : g ' ft ft V g- Y Y
1999 yyy |<j
TOTAL: 226 Source: Lincoln Commission on Human Rights
Melanie Falk/DN
happened,” he said. “It wasn’t an
unusual year.”
The most common type of dis
crimination in housing occurs when
an individual schedules an appoint
ment to look at an available house or
apartment, and when he or she
arrives, the owner or landlord
informs the person it has already
been rented or sold, Williams said.
Sometimes individuals find an
ad the next day in the newspaper for
the house or apartment they went to
look at, even though they were told
face to face it was sold, he said.
“Minorities sometimes get the
run-around when looking for hous
ing,” Williams said.
He said with the increase of the
immigrant population in Nebraska,
there is a possibility for more dis
crimination in housing.
“We need to let people know
what’s happening,” he said.
To better understand fair hous
ing, said Gretchen Eure, director of
the investigative unit for the Equal
Opportunity Commission, the com
mission is sponsoring a fair housing
poster and essay contest at Lincoln
Northeast High School.
This year’s theme is “One
Neighborhood, One America,” Eure
said.
The contest asks students to look
at barriers individuals face when
looking for housing.
Last year was the first year for
the contest, and Eure said it was a
success.
“We thought it was a good way to
help students understand housing
issues and possibly pass the informa
tion on to their parents,” Eure said.
Williams said though the
Commission on Human Rights
receives the most complaints of dis
crimination in employment, housing
is still an important issue, Williams
said.
“I don’t want to lessen the impor
tance of the severity of discrimina
tion in housing,” he said. “We know
it’s going on.”
UNMC says '
ads’ timing
coincidence
By Kimberly Sweet
Staff writer
A University of Nebraska
Medical Center official defended a
radio commercial that promotes
research done at the medical center,
saying it was only coincidental that it
is running amid controversy over the
use of fetal tissue in research.
Advertisements promoting a
variety of research at the medical
center in Omaha were planned
months ago to be in line with an ad
campaign launched to promote the
Nebraska Health System, Harold
Maurer, UNMC chancellor, told the
NU Board of Regents at its monthly
meeting Saturday.
The system was created when the
medical center merged with
Clarkson Hospital. [|
“(The ad) has to do with all kinds
of research,” Maurer said. “It doesn’t
say a word about fetal cell research.”
During a public comment period
of the meeting, Metro Right to Life
leader Bob Blank said the center used
tax dollars to “hard-sell the use of
aborted babies in research.”
The ad that started last Monday
uses statistics from a survey done by ,
Research! America that states 85 per
cent of Nebraskans feel the research
is critical to health care in Nebraska
Maurer said.
NU Regent Drew Miller was |
quick to defend the ads and the med
ical center, saying the money came
from private donations from the
University of Nebraska Foundation.
He said Blank and other anti-abor
tion leaders need to get the facts
straight.
“First you lied about the universi
ty trafficking baby parts,” Miller ,
said. “Now you come to us today and i
say we are using tax-payer dollars
when we’ve been using foundation
dollars.” * |i
Maurer said the public has been
receptive to the ads, which will con- i
tinue for the next three weeks.
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