FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1996 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES OWNERS OF TWO SUBURBAN CHICAGO APARTMENT COMPLEXES FOR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST AFRICAN-AMERICANS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department today sued the owners and managers of two suburban Chicago apartment complexes for refusing to rent to African-Americans. It is the first Chicago area case resulting from a nationwide fair housing testing program conducted by the Justice Department. Under the program, trained teams of African-Americans and white testers help detect discrimination by posing as prospective tenants and inquiring about the availability of rental units. The results of the testers are later compared by investigators. Today's suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleged that the owners and managers of Forest Hills Apartments, in Oak Forest, and Commercial Avenue Apartments, in South Chicago Heights, violated the Fair Housing Act by treating African-American tenants less favorably than whites. "No American should ever be denied a home due to the color of his or her skin," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick. "All people looking to rent apartments deserve to be treated fairly and to get correct information about the availability of apartments, regardless of their race." According to Patrick, teams of black and white testers posing as prospective tenants inquired about renting at the two complexes. The managers either refused to rent to the African-Americans testers, told them that no apartments were available for the time that they requested, or offered them apartments on less favorable terms than the white testers. Testing investigations have resulted in 34 federal cases in eight states, including Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, California, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri and Florida. Twenty two cases have lead to settlements or judgments totaling more than $3.2 million. Currently, the Justice Department is conducting testing in about a dozen cities. The suit asks the court to order owners Ronald Glas, David Kozak, and Gary Kozak and their managers to no longer engage in discriminatory practices and to pay damages to any victims of the discrimination. Under the Fair Housing Act, a court may also require each defendant to pay a penalty of up to $50,000 for the first violation and $100,000 for a subsequent violation. The 160-unit Forest Hills Apartment complex is located at 5049 West 159th Street in Oak Forest, and the Commercial Avenue Apartments, consisting of 62 units, at 3351 Commercial Avenue in South Chicago Heights. "We will not hesitate to act when an individual's race is unlawfully used as a basis to restrict his or her choice of housing. To exclude a person from housing of their choice on the basis of race is reprehensible," said James B. Burns, U.S. Attorney in Chicago. "Today's action should warn all housing providers in the Chicago area that housing discrimination can and will be detected." Individuals who believe that they may have been the victims of housing discrimination at either the Forest Hills or the Commercial Avenue Apartments should call the United States Attorney's Office at 312-353-1857, the Housing Section of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department at 1-800-896-7743, or the South Suburban Housing Center at 708-957-4674. # # # 96-535