Eastchester Building Superintendent Accused of Housing Discrimination

Oct 01, 2018 6:53 PM EDT

EASTCHESTER -The superintendent of a Westchester rental building is being accused of racially discriminating against African-Americans.

The Fair Housing Justice Center is a nonprofit civil rights organization that seeks to eliminate housing discrimination and promote inclusive communities.

The organization is accusing Superintendent Dikson Dumitrescu of discriminating against African-American renters in Eastchester. According to the lawsuit, an investigation found that Dumitrescu told African-American renters that there was a waiting list for an apartment at 9 New Street, when, in fact, there wasn’t, and that they should contact a broker in Yonkers or Mount Vernon instead -- two cities with a higher population of African-Americans than Eastchester.

The organization says that in another incident, an African-American visited the apartment building to inquire about a one-bedroom apartment. The superintendent allegedly told him that there were none available and that he would have to go to a real estate broker for a license. But when a white tester allegedly visited after that, he was shown three one-bedroom apartments.

Patricia Brooks tells News 12 Westchester that she is one of at least two African-American tenants who are happy at the residence, saying that she has never had any problems.

News 12 attempted to reach the super via the building's intercom, but did not receive a response.