FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1996                         (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888
                                 
 MONTGOMERY REALTY COMPANY TO PAY $30,000 FOR ALLEGEDLY STEERING
    BLACKS AND WHITES TO DIFFERENT AREAS BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE

  CASE STEMS FROM JUSTICE DEPARTMENT NATIONWIDE TESTING PROGRAM

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Montgomery, Alabama real estate
company that was sued by the Justice Department for allegedly
refusing to refer African-Americans to properties in predominantly 
white parts of town will pay $30,000 in damages, the
Justice Department announced.
     The case, brought last January, stems from the Justice
Department's highly successful nationwide fair housing testing
program.  Under the program, trained pairs of African-Americans
and whites posing as prospective tenants inquire about the
availability of rental units.  By comparing the experiences of
the testers, investigators discover whether minorities were
treated less favorably than whites.
      The agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in
Montgomery, resolves Justice Department allegations that rental
agents at Hamilton Realty Company based in Montgomery, steered
African-Americans toward properties located in predominantly
minority areas of the city and whites toward predominantly white
areas.  "Steering" occurs when a rental agent discloses different
properties to applicants with the intent to concentrate persons
in different areas according to race.
     "Housing discrimination is usually subtle but it inflicts
deep wounds on its victims and serves to segregate our society,"
said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Deval L.
Patrick.  "All Americans should have the ability to live in the
neighborhood of their choice regardless of the color of their
skin."
     Under the agreement, the company, which owns and manages
approximately 200 rental properties in the Montgomery area, will
create a $30,000 fund to compensate any identified victims of the
alleged discriminatory practice.  Any money not paid to
identified victims will be paid to the government as a civil
penalty.
     The suit alleged that Hamilton Realty rental agents did not
tell African-Americans about properties located in predominantly
white areas of Montgomery, while whites were told.  It also
claimed that agents would steer African-Americans toward
properties located in predominantly minority areas of Montgomery
and whites toward predominantly white areas.
     "This lawsuit and the Consent Order entered today signal our
continuing commitment to the principle that equal rights in
housing for all people is a basic right of citizenship," said
Redding Pitt, U.S. Attorney in Montgomery.
     The Justice Department's testing program has produced 33
federal cases in nine states--Ohio, Michigan, California, South
Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Florida and Virginia--resulting in
more than $3 million dollars in settlements.  At any given time,
the Justice Department is conducting testing in about a dozen
cities.
     Individuals who believe they may have been the victims of
housing discrimination at any of the properties owned or managed
by Hamilton Realty Company should call the Housing Section of the
Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department at 202-307-3804,
or the Central Alabama Fair Housing Center at (334) 263-4663. 
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