Going undercover for Fair Housing: My James Bond-esque moment
Monday, February 7, 2011
by Name Withheld
Editor’s note: The name of the individual who wrote this first-hand account is being withheld so as to allow him to continue this work. As editor weighing the relevant considerations, I have concluded that the balance in this instance between disclosure and sharing this experience with the community tips in favor of disseminating the information. SGP
Who wouldn’t like to be somebody else for a day? Or, at least that’s what I thought when I heard through the grapevine about Westchester Residential Opportunities’ Fair Housing in Westchester program. Initially, as it does with all dreams, this idea manifested itself hyperbolically, mushrooming into a James Bond-esque series of clandestine missions in which I was the linchpin in the battle against evil.
Well, several jobs into my work as a Fair Housing tester, my experiences have been nothing like those of Sean Connery insofar as gunplay and espionage are concerned. But I would still posit that some of the things that I have learned thus far will prove to be invaluable and adventures that I will always look back on with a particular fondness.
The main reason that I was attracted to this activity was due to the fact that such discrimination still exists in a purportedly liberal and accepting county. I found this frankly appalling, and while my personal role in this battle for equal opportunity housing may be small, it’s still nice to feel like you could be, might be doing something or helping someone.
I feel that my work as a tester has helped me see the covert ways in which profiling still occurs all too regularly in today’s society. And even if I’m not donning a black tuxedo and sporting perfectly-coiffed hair during my tests, contributing in this way to help reverse this trend has instilled in me an sense of pride and awakened in me a budding appetite for justice that I know will now prove to be insatiable.
Editor’s note: The author of this article, who is a young man who lives in Chappaqua, worked as both a Protected tester and as a Control tester for WRO. A Protected tester is a member of the same class of residents who may have been subjected to the housing discrimination under investigation. In Westchester County, it is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of real estate based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status (children), marital status, sexual orientation, military status, citizenship or victimization by domestic abuse. A Control tester is a member of the class of residents who have not been subjected to the housing discrimination at issue. For information on how to be a tester, contact Laura Kreeger Neil at (914) 428-4507 x336 or at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Also see “Westchester non-profit reports on recent findings regarding housing discrimination,” by Andrea Klausner, in today’s edition of NCNOW.
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To see NCNOW’s collected articles and letters to the editor on affordable housing, click HERE.
As far as I can tell, the only thing the writer has to hide is that he is a poor writer. What on earth is he talking about? And what is he doing/accomplishing? What’s to hide?
The two editor notes are longer than the article. This article has no details as to what a tester does nor does it give examples of what this tester found. Was this in Chappaqua or Westchester in general?
Editor’s Note: The testing referred to in the recent report by WRO was conducted in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties. Within Westchester, Mt. Kisco and Peekskill were testing grounds. See http://www.newcastlenow.org/index.php/article/new_westchester_non_profit_reports_on_recent_findings_regarding_housing_dis
The work is good work, and the fact taht there is such testing is interesting. And it’s a JOB possibility that people should know about! Good for the kid! I commend him!
Lighten up “Huh”. I’ve commented in the related article that housing discrimination is down in Westchester, probably partly as a result of such testing, as represented this last time in Mt. Kisco and Peekskill. Westchester’s report card is better than Rockland’s, worse than Putnam’s:
“While discrimination still exists, the report found that Westchester County has improved since 2005 testing, when 46.5 percent of tests conducted found discrimination in rental housing. In this most recent test, the percentage was 17.54 percent for Westchester. In Rockland County the percentage was 34.6 percent, in Putnam it was 14.3 percent.”
This article as written is the poster child for anonymity. Of course no author wants to put her name on this. Here is how a good editor would have rewritten this article:
There are fair market undercover testers in Wetchester County. I am one of them. I live in Chappaqua. Discrimination still exists according to my experience.
Maybe this is just the first in a series of articles and the author will tell us something in the next episode? I hope so since the subject has a lot of potential.
This is an example of creating the news not reporting it. And its hardly news at all. It is hard to comprehend what the point is and what the findings are of the author-007 James Bond. Come on NEW CASTLENOW.ORG there must be things far more important and better prepared than this. You owe us, your readers some level of scrutiny on the articles you choose to feature! This is a non story by a non writer. Report dont create.
I agree with Where is Woodstein. I’d be curious to know more about the author’s experience, and his/her thoughts on how to reduce such discrimination.
