Lily Ebert, Who Kept Holocaust Memory Alive on TikTok, 100

Ebert, a Hungarian-born Auschwitz survivor who devoted herself to keeping the memory of the Holocaust alive, including on TikTok, where she drew millions of viewers with her testimonials. She also wrote a best-selling memoir, Lily’s Promise.

The title of Ebert’s book referenced a pledge that she made to herself on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, as a 20-year-old prisoner at Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp in occupied Poland, in 1944. Her mother and her two youngest siblings had been sent directly to the gas chamber. Beneath the heavy smoke from the crematorium, Ebert vowed that she would “tell the world what had happened” not only to her “but to all the people who could not tell their stories.”

Ebert spoke to students, to historians, to politicians, and to journalists. In February 2021, her TikTok account started and it made her an unexpected social media celebrity. In one video, she showed the tattoo branded on her arm upon her arrival at Auschwitz, number A-10572. The TikTok account attracted 2 million followers. In 2023, Ebert was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III in recognition of her efforts to educate the public about the Holocaust. 

In Auschwitz, she wrote, “a pall hung over everything, blocking out the sun. The foul smell that had choked us on our arrival, the most sickening and overwhelming smell I had ever experienced, was getting stronger and stronger. Not far away was a tall chimney, smoking furiously, with flames emerging red and bright.” “What kind of factory is that?” she asked another prisoner. “What are they making here? What’s this horrible smell?” “They’re burning your families there,” the woman replied. “Your parents, your sisters, your brothers. They’re burning them.”

After Ebert’s death, King Charles offered his condolences, as did British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In a statement recalling Ebert’s vow to speak of what she had witnessed, Starmer said that she had kept her promise “in the most remarkable way,” and that now “we must keep our promise to her” by carrying forward the memory of the Holocaust.

Image Credit: Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Read the October 11, 2024 Washington Post article.

Thelma Jean Mothershed Wair, One of the Little Rock Nine, 83.

Thelma Jean Mothershed Wair was a member of the Little Rock Nine, the African-American students involved in the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. The world watched as they braved constant intimidation and threats from those who opposed desegregation of the formerly all-white high school. Mothershed was a junior when she entered Central. Despite the fact that she had a cardiac condition since birth, she had a near perfect record for attendance.

Mothershed attended Dunbar Junior High School and Horace Mann High School before transferring to Central High. Despite daily tormenting from some white students at Central High, she completed her junior year at the formerly all-white high school during the 1957-58 year. The students who integrated Central High School were known as the Little Rock Nine.

For three weeks in September 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus used the National Guard to block the Black students from enrolling in Central High. This was three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated classrooms were unconstitutional. In response to Faubus' actions, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent members of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to escort the students into school on September 25, 1957.

Because the city’s high schools were closed the following year, Mothershed earned the necessary credits for graduation through correspondence courses and by attending summer school in St. Louis, Missouri. She received her diploma from Central High by mail. Mothershed graduated from Southern Illinois University at Cabondale in 1964 with a BA in home economics and earned her MS in Guidance and Counseling Education in 1970; in 1985, she received an administrative certificate in education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She taught home economics in the East St. Louis school system for twenty-eight years.

Mothershed Wair also worked at the Juvenile Detention Center of the St. Clair County Jail in St. Clair County, Illinois, and as an instructor of survival skills for women at the American Red Cross Shelter for the homeless. During the 1989-90 school year, the East St. Louis chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction and the early childhood/pre-kindergarten staff of District 189 honored her as an Outstanding Role Model.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awarded her and the other Little Rock Nine, along with Daisy Bates, the prestigious Spingarn Medal in 1958. In 1999, President Bill Clinton presented the nation’s highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, to the members of the Little Rock Nine.

Image Credit: Office of U.S. Rep Vic Snyder (D-Arkansas), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Read the October 28, 2024 Encyclopedia of Arkansas article.

Read the October 21, 2024 Associated Press (AP) article.

Elderly- or Disabled-Headed Households are Now the Most Common Housing Choice Voucher Program Households

A new HUD Office of Policy Development and Research study found that as of 2020, families with children no longer represented the most common type of tenant-based rental assistance - Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) - households. Elderly- or disabled-headed households are now the most common HCV household structure.

HUD began providing tenant-based rental assistance following the passage of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. For the first time, low-income households were able to use their assistance to seek rental housing in the private market. By the 1970s, observers realized that the spatial concentration of poverty was negatively impacting those the program sought to help. The current HCV program tries to have these assisted households live in higher-opportunity neighborhoods rather than areas of concentrated poverty, where many public housing developments were and still are located.

A HUD report comparing nationwide trends in 2010 to those in the top 50 MSAs in 2000 found that although the HCV program had a small share of affordable rental housing, the share of households living in high-poverty areas was increasing. It also found that the share of HCV households living in HCV-dense census tracts had increased during 2000-2010. Both reports found that participant choice alone was not enough to achieve spatial poverty de-concentration.

The just-released third HCV location report covering 2010 and 2020 found that:

(1) The number of HCV households with an elderly or disabled head of household exceeded the number of HCV households with children. During 2010-2020, the number of elderly heads of households increased by nearly 10% and the number of disabled heads of households decreased slightly. Non-Hispanic Black heads of households continue to represent the largest - and growing - racial/ethnic group of HCV households.

(2) The share of HCV households living in neighborhoods with a high density of voucher holders increased 2010-2020; and 

(3) A large share of HCV households still live in high-poverty neighborhoods. Nationwide, 44% of tenant-based voucher (TBV) households still lived in high-poverty census tracts in 2020, including 7% living in areas of extreme poverty

(4) There are significant racial and ethnic disparities among voucher households regarding neighborhood poverty rates: Black (52.3%) and Hispanic (47.8%) HCV households were more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of poverty compared to their white peers (30.7%). Black and Hispanic HCV households were also twice as likely to live in neighborhoods with higher concentrations of other voucher holders, where more than 10% of units were occupied by voucher holders, compared to white HCV households.

Read the October 29, 2024 HUD Report.

Read the September 16, 2024 National Low Income Housing Coalition article.

Teaching for Change has Released the Second Edition of Its "Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching"

Teaching for Change has released the second edition of Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching, an important teaching tool originally published jointly with the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) in 2004. Edited by Deborah Menkart, Alana D. Murray, and Jenice L. View, Putting the Movement Back Into Civil Rights Teaching is used in school districts and with community groups across the country.

The 2nd edition of the 576-page book is $29.95. Order

The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most commonly taught stories about the fight for democracy and equal rights. However, the powerful stories of everyday people organizing and working together for social change are lost in the focus on a few major heroes and dates. The book and its companion website offer a collection of lessons, essays, articles, primary documents, and poetry to help K-12 educators delve more deeply than a "heroes and holidays" approach to teaching about the Civil Rights Movement in their classrooms. The book's focus is on the themes of women, youth, organizing, culture, institutional racism, and the interconnectedness between social movements. The resources are organized in eight sections: Critiquing the Traditional Narrative, Framing the Movement, Desegregation of Public Spaces, Voting Rights, Black Power, Labor and Land, Transnational Solidarity, and Student Engagement.

There will be a book release event on Wednesday, October 30th in Washington, D.C. at the Busboys and Poets in Brookland (telephone 202-636-7230 625 Monroe St NE, Washington, DC 20017). Presenters include the editors (Jenice L. View, Alana D. Murray, and Deborah Menkart), SNCC veterans (Courtland Cox, Judy Richardson, and Jennifer Lawson), and lesson authors. Educator Jessica Rucker is the emcee. Attendees will hear about the book and engage in some of the activities. Free and open to the public. Books available for purchase and signing. The first 20 classroom teachers in attendance will receive a free copy of the book.

Go to the book's webpage.

Fannie Mae Improves and Extends its "Expanded Housing Choice" Voucher Initiative Nationwide

 

Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) has announced improvements to its Expanded Housing Choice (EHC) initiative that: (1) make it available nationwide - including states with no source of income protections - for new loans to multifamily property owners who accept U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs); (2) increase eligibility thresholds to stimulate a more sustainable program; (3) streamline its data collection process; and (4) make its more transparent regarding inclusive renter screening requirements.  It was previously limited to eligible properties in North Carolina and Texas. These changes will support a more equitable housing market.

The Housing Choice Voucher federal program helps very-low-income families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities afford stable, quality housing in the private market. Fannie Mae’s Expanded Housing Choice initiative, begun in 2022 and extended through April 2026, is a pilot initiative to expand housing opportunities for HCV holders by incentivizing multifamily borrowers to accept vouchers as a valid source of income. Approximately 30% of voucher holders are unable to find housing that accepts their vouchers.

Multifamily property owners are now eligible if their property is not already legally required to accept HCVs and that at least 40% of units are affordable at or below HUD Fair Market Rents or Small Area Fair Market Rents. Borrowers and property managers who leverage EHC and accept HCVs can benefit from lower pricing, flexible loan terms, certain completion, lower turnover and vacancy rates, and a steady stream of competitive rent payments backed by HUD.  Fannie Mae's Delegated Underwriting and Servicing (DUS®) lenders partnered with it in the initiative.

For more information on Fannie Mae’s Expanded Housing Choice initiative, including background on the Housing Choice Voucher program, lender and borrower best practices, frequently asked questions, and more resources, go to FannieMae.com.

Read the October 15, 2024 Fannie Mae press release.

Citadel FCU Redlining Settlement Proves It’s Time To Bring Credit Unions Under Community Reinvestment Act Enforcement

The recent U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement settlement with Citadel Federal Credit Union is excellent evidence why the Community Reinvestment Act’s (CRA) omission of credit unions from its rules is a mistake, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). Citadel FCU agreed to a $6.5 million settlement regarding its alleged discouragement of homebuyers in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods of Philadelphia from applying for mortgages and systematically declined to make mortgages in those neighborhoods. Citadel maintains its innocence in the settlement.

“It no longer makes sense to let credit unions out of the common-sense obligations that CRA puts on traditional banks. Citadel’s alleged conduct in the case it just paid $6.5 million to settle is a timely demonstration of the problem and the need to enhance fair lending protections for credit union customers. Despite their public perception as a gentler, kinder, more community-minded provider of retail banking services, credit unions are just as capable of violating borrowers’ civil rights as any other financial institution. Whatever the driving causes underlying such violations, we know how to fix the problem: Supervise credit unions under CRA so that they can prove their actual actions live up to their public image.”

Such failures and business practices are commonly uncovered in traditional banking through regular federal CRA examinations, which are conducted every few years. Extending CRA to cover credit unions would both improve oversight and put new capital into neglected communities as the firms move into compliance with the law’s requirements. Bringing credit unions under CRA would ensure that they face an affirmative and binding obligation to those same people and communities.

Read the October 15, 2024 NCRC article.

Justice Department Secures Over $6.5M from Citadel Federal Credit Union for Redlining Philadelphia Area Black and Hispanic Communities

 

The U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) just announced that Citadel Federal Credit Union has agreed to pay over $6.5 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by redlining predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). This is DOJ’s first redlining settlement with a credit union under its Combating Redlining Initiative.

The DOJ complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleges that, from at least 2017-2021, Citadel failed to provide mortgage lending services to majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia and discouraged people wanting credit there from obtaining home loans. Citadel’s home mortgage lending was disproportionately in white areas around Greater Philadelphia. Similar lenders generated mortgage applications in predominately Black and Hispanic neighborhoods at almost three times that of Citadel and originated mortgage loans in these areas over three times Citadel's rate.

The complaint also alleges that Citadel’s branches are situated almost solely in majority-White neighborhoods, with no branches in Philadelphia, which has over 75% of the majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods and 34% of the total population in Citadel’s market area.

Under the proposed consent order, subject to court approval, Citadel has agreed to invest $6.52 million to increase credit opportunities for communities of color in and around Philadelphia. Citadel will:

• Invest at least $6 million in a loan subsidy fund to increase access to home mortgage, home improvement, and home refinance loans for residents of majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
• Spend at least $250,000 on community partnerships to provide services related to credit, consumer financial education, homeownership, and foreclosure prevention for residents of predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in its market area.
• Spend at least $270,000 for advertising, outreach, consumer financial education, and credit counseling in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
• Open three new branches in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
• Hire a community lending officer to oversee the continued development of lending in communities of color.
• Hire independent consultants to strengthen its fair lending program and better meet the communities’ mortgage credit needs.
• Conduct a community credit needs assessment, evaluate its fair lending compliance management systems, and conduct staff trainings.

With assets of approximately $6 billion, Citadel is headquartered in Pennsylvania and has 24 branches in Greater Philadelphia, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. The second largest credit union in the area with over 263,000 members, Citadel cooperated with the DOJ investigation.

Since 2021, the DOJ's Combating Redlining Initiative, a coordinated enforcement effort to address this persistent form of discrimination against communities of color, has announced 14 redlining resolutions and secured over $144 million in relief for communities of color that have been the victims of lending discrimination. 

A copy of the complaint and information about DOJ’s fair lending enforcement work is at www.justice.gov/fairhousing. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online.

Read the October 10, 2024 DOJ press release.

Take the Baltimore Housing Plan Survey Today! Your Voice Matters!

This is your chance to make your opinion and preferences known about Baltimore's housing now and in the future! The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is seeking input from residents like you to better plan for affordable housing across our city. This work will move Baltimore forward. We are focused on creating a plan that strengthens and revitalizes neighborhoods for all residents, at all income levels. 

By participating in our survey, you can play a vital role in shaping policies and initiatives that increase access to safe, decent, stable, and affordable housing options for all Baltimoreans. The Baltimore City Comprehensive Housing Plan will consist of actions to expand affordable housing, minimize displacement for current residents, and to build trust with our communities. Through an intentional review of existing programs, the new Housing Plan will identify opportunities, potential policies, and barriers that hamper community growth and the funding sources necessary to realize our shared goals. This new plan will be particularly focused on making housing affordable at all income levels throughout the city - not just neighborhoods with a high concentration of vacancies.  

Baltimore city residents are strongly encouraged to participate in the planning and development process through taking the online survey and attending town halls. Our DHCD project team also will talk with faith-based organizations and places of worship, housing developers, CDC’s, community benefit organizations and non-profits, government agencies, and elected officials to assess the current state of housing affordability in Baltimore and to develop solutions. 

VIEW HOUSING PLAN PROCESS OVERVIEW POWER POINT PRESENTATION

VIEW HOUSING PLAN TOWN HALL PRESENTATION (English and Espanol) 

What the Survey Covers - The survey asks questions about your current housing situation, housing costs, and any difficulties you  have in finding or maintaining affordable housing. It will also gather information about your household size and income levels. This comprehensive approach will help DHCD gain a better understanding of the affordable housing experience in Baltimore. The survey is available online and can be accessed through the following link:  https://bit.ly/DHCDHousingSurvey. It should take only about 15 minutes to complete. The survey will be open until October 25, 2024.

Why This Survey Matters  - Stable, affordable housing is the foundation of all other needs and strongly influences individual, family, and community health. Your insights will provide DHCD with valuable data to develop effective strategies and allocate resources where they are most needed. This is an opportunity to ensure that your housing challenges and preferences are heard and incorporated into the City’s first-ever comprehensive housing plan. The new housing plan will consider previous efforts, including the Framework for Community Development and the recently-published plan to eliminate vacancies. This will result in a Plan that will benefit the unique market features of Baltimore City.  

Confidentiality-Privacy  - Your responses to our survey will be kept strictly confidential, and your personal information will not be shared or used for any purpose other than this survey.  

Thank You for Participating - By participating in this survey, you are contributing to a more equitable and inclusive Baltimore, where everyone has access to quality, affordable housing. Your input is invaluable. We thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and perspectives. 

 Read about the Mayor's July 17, 2024 announcement of the Plan.

Read DHCD's website summary of the Plan.

CFPB and Justice Department Charge Fairway for Redlining Black Neighborhoods in Birmingham, Alabama

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took action to end Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation’s illegal mortgage lending discrimination against majority-Black neighborhoods in the greater Birmingham, Alabama area. The CFPB and DOJ allege that Fairway illegally redlined Black neighborhoods, including through its marketing and sales actions. Fairway’s actions discouraged people from applying for mortgage loans in the Birmingham metropolitan area’s Black neighborhoods. If entered by the court, the settlement would require Fairway to pay a $1.9 million civil penalty to the CFPB’s victims relief fund. Fairway would also be required to provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program to offer affordable home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans in majority-Black neighborhoods. Redlining is the illegal practice of denying the same access to credit to certain neighborhoods based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas. 

Fairway is a non-depository mortgage company based in Madison, Wisconsin, and operates in the Birmingham area under the trade name MortgageBanc. In 2023, Fairway was the third largest mortgage lender, receiving over 100,000 applications and originating over $24 billion in loans. In this closely held company, Steve Jacobson is the majority owner.

The complaint describes how Fairway redlined majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham Metropolitan Statistical Area (Birmingham MSA). During the period covered by the complaint, the Birmingham MSA included six counties in north central Alabama with a population of about 1.1 million. While Fairway claimed to serve the entire metropolitan area, it concentrated all its retail loan offices in majority-white areas, directed less than 3% of its direct mail advertising to consumers in majority-Black areas during 2018-2020, and discouraged homeownership in majority-Black areas by generating loan applications at a rate far below its peer institutions.

The CFPB and DOJ allege that Fairway violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Act, and the Fair Housing Act. Specifically, the government alleges problematic conduct by Fairway including:

• Failing to address known signs of discrimination: Fairway's own data showed that it was failing to serve majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham area. Before October 2022, it took no steps to address redlining risk other than telling loan officers not to discriminate. Only 3.7% of Fairway’s applications during 2018-2022 were for properties in majority-Black areas, compared to 12.2% for similar lenders. This disparity was higher in neighborhoods with 80% or more Black residents, where it made loans at less than 1/8 the rate of its peer lenders. Fairway did not adopt any written plan for marketing or growth to address the concern.

• Redlining Black neighborhoods: From 2015 through 2022, Fairway operated three retail loan offices and three loan production desks in real estate offices in the Birmingham metropolitan area, all in majority-white areas. Fairway also relied on referrals from real estate professionals and others to generate applications, and the vast majority of Fairway’s referral sources and referred consumers were located in majority-white areas. Fairway predominantly directed its marketing to majority-white areas. By doing this, Fairway unlawfully discouraged mortgage loan applications for properties in majority-Black neighborhoods.

Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (CFPA), the CFPB has the authority to take enforcement action against institutions that violate federal consumer financial protection laws, including violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and its implementing regulation, Regulation B. The DOJ agreed with CFPB’s claim that Fairway violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and its implementing regulation, and separately alleges that Fairway violated the Fair Housing Act.

The proposed order filed by CFPB and DOJ would require Fairway to:

• Pay a $1.9 million penalty: The penalty against Fairway would be paid into the CFPB’s Civil Penalty Fund, also referred to as the victims relief fund.
• Provide $7 million for a loan subsidy program: The order would require Fairway to offer home purchase, refinance, and home improvement loans on a more affordable basis than otherwise available in majority-Black neighborhoods in the Birmingham metropolitan area.
• Pay at least $1 million to serve neighborhoods it redlined to address some of the gap in credit access caused by its discriminatory activities. Fairway would be required to open or acquire a new loan production office or full-service retail office in a majority-Black neighborhood in the Birmingham metropolitan area, and will pay (2) at least $500,000 for advertising and outreach, (3) at least $250,000 on consumer financial education, and (4) at least $250,000 on partnerships with community-based or governmental organizations to serve neighborhoods previously redlined by the company.

Read the proposed order.

Consumers can submit complaints about financial products and services by visiting the CFPB’s website or by calling (855) 411-CFPB (2372).

Employees who believe their company has violated federal consumer financial protection laws are encouraged to send information about what they know to whistleblower@cfpb.gov. To learn more about reporting potential industry misconduct, visit the CFPB’s website.

HUD Charges New Hampshire Property Managers and Landlord with Discrimination for a Retaliatory Eviction

 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged Greenview Associates L.P., Palmer Asset Management, LLC, and John Martin, property managers and landlord in Manchester, New Hampshire, with violating the Fair Housing Act by retaliating, threatening, or interfering with a tenant’s fair housing rights. HUD’s Charge alleges that, following the tenant’s filing of a Fair Housing complaint with HUD, the landlord and property manager did a background check on the tenant, not their usual practice of not running background checks, and then sought eviction of the tenant based on a long-past event that the background check revealed. Read HUD’s Charge.

A U. S. Administrative Law Judge will hear HUD’s charge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds, after a hearing, that discrimination has occurred, they may award damages to the individuals for their losses as a result of the discrimination, injunctive relief, other equitable relief, and payment of attorney fees. In addition, the judge may impose civil penalties to vindicate the public interest. If the federal court hears the case, the judge may also award punitive damages to the complainant.

For more information on potentially discriminatory evictions, please refer to this HUD Fact Sheet.

People who believe they are the victims of housing discrimination should contact HUD at (800) 669-9777 (voice) 800-927-9275 (TTY). Additional information is available at www.hud.gov/fairhousing and www.justice.gov. Materials and assistance are available for persons with limited English proficiency. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the Department using the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

Read the October 11, 2024 HUD press release.

FBI 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics Find Hate Crime Incidents Reached a Record High of 11,862 - 15% were Anti-Jewish

 

The FBI just released detailed data on over 14 million criminal offenses for 2023 reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program by participating law enforcement agencies. Over 16,000 state, county, city, university and college, and tribal agencies, covering a combined population of 94.3% inhabitants, submitted data to the UCR Program through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Summary Reporting System.

The data reveals that reported hate crime incidents were a new high of 11,862 in 2023. Although Jews only make up around 2% of the U.S. population, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes were 15% of all hate crimes reported and 68% of all reported religion-based hate crimes. Hate crimes were defined as offenses being motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and gender identity.  

The FBI’s crime statistics estimates, based on reported data for 2023, show that national violent crime decreased an estimated 3.0% in 2023 compared to 2022:  

• Murder and non-negligent manslaughter recorded a 2023 estimated nationwide decrease of 11.6% compared to 2022.  
• In 2023, the estimated number of offenses in the revised rape category saw an estimated 9.4% decrease.  
• Aggravated assault decreased an estimated 2.8% in 2023. 
• Robbery decreased 0.3% nationally.  

To publish a national trend, the FBI’s UCR Program used a dataset of reported hate crime incidents and zero reports submitted by agencies reporting six or more common months or two or more common quarters (six months) of hate crime data to the FBI UCR Program for 2022 and 2023. According to this dataset, reported hate crime incidents decreased 0.6% from 10,687 in 2022 to 10,627 in 2023.  

The complete analysis is located on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer.

Read the September 23, 2024 FBI article.

More Banks & Non-Bank Lenders are Omitting Racial Information from Home Loan Data — Preventing the Identification of Lending Discrimination

 

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) legally requires 5,000 financial institutions that originated a home loan in the U.S. to collect information about race to help identify potential discrimination against borrowers. The data has in the past year been cited by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau among others.

However, over 12% of borrowers do not give the information requested by the law and some 90% of loans sold to third parties do not provide the racial data that is acquired, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). “The impact is profound,” according to a new NCRC report “as these gaps hinder our ability to understand who is receiving loans and under what terms, which is vital for assessing fairness and inclusivity.”

To help fight the problem, the NCRC has pledged to never again use any data that doesn’t include demographics on race. “Beginning with this report, NCRC is eliminating records without demographic data from our calculations of the percent of loans made to specific races.” 

The NCRC and others say the missing data is largely due to loopholes in the HMDA. Passed in 1975, the HMDA rule requires that in-person and phone applicants provide demographic data - but online applicants can opt out.

Third-party loan purchasers are not required to track demographic information. Seven of the top 10 loan-purchasing institutions from 2023 used a loophole that allows them to erase borrower demographic data on the mortgages they bought, according to an NCRC report. “A few years ago, it was rare for lenders to buy loans and strip demographic data, but Citibank pioneered this practice. Now, many lenders who purchase loans use this loophole.” Citi declined to comment.

The NCRC report shows “in what might be a sign of a historic point” that Hispanic lending for home loans -16.5% of all 2023 home purchases - was nearly identical to their overall share of the U.S. adult population. Black borrowers' lending rates improved, though not near to their overall share of the population.

Unfortunately, these seemingly positive trends are difficult to confirm because of the incomplete data. Any increase in data collection about borrowers comes with increased risk of invasion of privacy. Though the CFPB says there’s low, if any, privacy risk in the HMDA, a 2017  report  by economist Anthony Yezer stated concerns such data collection could lead to widespread violations of privacy.

To the NCRC. “The extensive benefits of detailed data collection, encompassing income, race, sexual orientation and gender identity, decisively outweigh any concerns over burden or privacy. It’s imperative t hat efforts to curtail this essential data collection be recognized as not just misguided but as detrimental to the health and well-being of our communities.”

Read the October 4, 2024 Yahoo Finance article.

Read the October 3, 2024 Fortune article.

HUD Charges Owner & Operators of New Hampshire Apartment Buildings with Disability Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged Good Team Realty LLC, Jack O Cohen Revocable Trust, and Jack Cohen, owners and operators of more than 40 rental apartments in New Hampshire, with discriminating against potential tenants because of disability. The Charge alleges that the Respondents violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to negotiate for and show an available apartment to prospective tenants who used assistance animals for their disabilities. Read HUD’s Charge.

“In 1988 the Fair Housing Act was extended to protect persons from discrimination in housing because of a disability, yet people with disabilities continue to be subjected to discriminatory treatment,” said Diane M. Shelley, HUD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "Today's action demonstrates HUD's ongoing commitment to take appropriate action when housing providers fail to comply with the Fair Housing Act."

HUD’s Charge of Discrimination alleges that the Complainants spoke with property owner, Jack Cohen, about renting an apartment and that during the conversation the Complainants revealed that they had an assistance animal. The Charge further alleges that the Complainants arranged to meet Mr. Cohen to view the apartment but that Mr. Cohen refused to allow the Complainants inside the apartment because they did not have medical documentation verifying their need for the assistance animal with them at that time.

A U. S. Administrative Law Judge will hear HUD’s charge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds, after a hearing, that discrimination has occurred, they may award damages to the family for their losses as a result of the discrimination, injunctive relief, and other equitable relief, as well as payment of attorney fees. In addition, the judge may impose civil penalties and punitive damages to the complainant.

Go to HUD Fair Housing.

Coffee Break with Alice This Friday October 11th!

The next Coffee Break with Alice takes place Friday, October 11, 2024, at Noon.   Scan the QR Code or use the registration link below to receive the meeting link. Register to receive meeting link: CoffeeBreakOCT ###

Baltimore City Civil Rights Week 2024 Programming Announcement

The Office of Equity and Civil Rights is excited to invite you to join us for our annual Civil Rights Week from October 4th - 12th! We have several events scheduled throughout the week that touch on key topics including Police Accountability, The History of Redlining and Housing Discrimination in the city, Legislative Access for Women, a History of Immigration and Inclusion in Baltimore and more! Check out some of what's happening below and sign up to join us. All events are free and open to the public. Hope to see you there! Register Here!

US Antisemitic Incidents Surge to Record High

Reports of antisemitic incidents in the US have reached a record high since last year's Hamas attack in Israel, according to a preliminary report from the Anti-Defamation League Center for Extremism (ADL). The group found over10,000 incidents from 7 October 2023 to 24 September of this year, more than a 200% increase compared to the same period last year. It is the highest ever since the ADL began tracking such incidents in 1979.

The report is days after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement warning of possible violent threats amid the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. Since last October’s Hamas attack on Israel which saw around 1,200 people killed "Jewish Americans haven’t had a single moment of respite,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “Instead, we’ve faced a shocking number of antisemitic threats and experienced calls for more violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere.”

The antisemitism episodes reported by the ADL included about 8,015 incidents of verbal or written harassment, 1,840 incidents of vandalism, and 150 incidents of physical assault. The states with the highest number of recorded cases were California, with 1,266 incidents, New York 1,218, New Jersey  830, and Florida 463. The ADL expects its preliminary numbers to increase as it receives more data. The final report for 2024 will be published in the spring of 2025.

Part of the overall increase comes from a change in methodology to include "expressions of opposition to Zionism, as well as support for resistance against Israel or Zionists that could be perceived as supporting terrorism", the ADL said. The ADL's preliminary report counted over 3,000 of incidents during anti-Israel rallies "which featured regular explicit expressions of support for terrorist groups", including Hamas and Hezbollah. Excluding these incidents, the ADL counted 7,523 episodes of antisemitism, a 103% increase from 2022.

The continued violence in the Middle East region has led to a surge in anti-Muslim and Islamophobic incidents across the US. Anti-Muslim incidents were 8,061 in 2023, according to a report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released this April. This was the highest level since CAIR began tallying almost 30 years ago, with nearly half coming after the 7 October attack.

Read the October 6, 2024 BBC News article.

NCRC and Fintechs Urge Federal Regulators to Use AI to Detect and Eliminate Lending Discrimination

 

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and a group of financial technology firms submitted a joint letter urging regulators issue clear guidelines to lenders on how the new AI fair lending tools could better evaluate disparities in lending. The letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) - signed by NCRC, Zest AI, Upstart, Stratyfy, and FairPlay - was issued in response to the White House’s Executive Order on AI in October, 2023.

Some lenders have not adopted these newer tools for underwriting analysis because they believe they can remain compliant with existing fair lending laws despite evidence that suggests older scoring models continue to contribute to systemic discrimination. Newer fair lending tools can allow lenders to conduct searches for new underwriting models that perform as well as older scoring models, while also mitigating the risk of discrimination in their analysis of an LMI credit applicant.

From the companies’ perspective, the power of the new AI tools can help lenders comply with regulations and improve their ability to expand credit access to applicants who have traditionally been underserved or considered too risky by old underwriting models.

The key recommendations of the letter include:

1. Don’t wait for perfect information to act. AI will continue to rapidly evolve. Supervisory highlights should be used by regulators to highlight best practices within the industry.
2. Provide written guidance on activity that triggers fair lending oversight. The CFPB should provide clearer guidelines on the conditions that would require a lender to engage in a Less Discriminatory Alternative (LDA) search, as well as the frequency with which such searches will be conducted.
3. Clarify that fair lending applies not only to how applicants are treated, but also how they are selected. Evaluating the creditworthiness of applicants can happen at the earliest stages of the lending process, including during marketing campaign planning. AI tools that can more comprehensively assess the risk of an applicant should be adopted earlier and favored over older models and tools.
4. The FHFA should continue to build upon its 2022 AI Advisory Opinions. The prior advisory opinions offered AI-specific guidance to the GSEs based on select use cases with potential to improve housing finance for consumers.
5. The CFPB should assert that fair lending compliance should be as high a priority as all other parts of the lending process. For companies using AI in credit decisioning, the CFPB should make clear the usage of outdated tools is not sufficient to remain compliant with fair lending laws.
6. Supervisory examination and training should address routine review of financial institutions’ model testing protocols and results. Fair lending examinations should also include reviews of the models used, testing protocols and positive assessment of LDA searches. Data concerning the efficacy of tools and practices should be shared in a forum with regulators and policymakers.

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

Read the September 30, 2024 NCRC article.

Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership Analyzes Source of Income Discrimination Law Effectiveness

 

During HUD's Quarterly Update event on July 25, 2024, panelists explored the emerging research on source of income discrimination laws and the enforcement strategies employed by municipalities in Maryland and New York. Some 50 years ago, Congress enacted the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program to promote housing stability, health, and economic mobility by allowing households to choose where to use their rental subsidy. Many voucher holders, however, remain in high-poverty areas because area landlords practice source of income discrimination (SOID) by refusing to accept vouchers outright. To address this behavior, states and localities began enacting SOID laws in the 1970s; however, even in areas where SOID laws are in place, landlords sometimes find indirect ways to deny housing to voucher holders. 

On July 25, 2024, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) hosted a PD&R Quarterly Update featuring two panel discussions examining the implementation of these laws and the latest research on their effectiveness. Adria Crutchfield, executive director of the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership (BRHP) participated in the discussions and analysis.

Prevalence, Evolution, and Effectiveness of SOID Protections

As of February 2024, HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing reports that 17 states, 21 counties, and over 85 cities have passed laws regarding SOID. According to Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) data, the number of state and local SOID laws has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Alongside the rise in SOID laws, the National Fair Housing Alliance reports a corresponding increase in complaints that local fair housing organizations have filed concerning landlord offenses. Lawyers previously needed to challenge laws that did not explicitly include federal housing assistance as a protected source of income (SOI) or address minimum income requirements and landlord objections to inspections. Policymakers have changed the language of recent ordinances to more effectively address SOID issues, eliminating outdated defenses and strengthening enforcement. At the same time, institutions are prioritizing making information about SOID laws more accessible. Earlier in 2024, the Office of Public and Indian Housing launched a website detailing SOID laws. In addition, PRRAC maintains and regularly updates a compilation of state, local, and federal laws prohibiting SOID.

To understand the effect of SOID laws on voucher utilization and movement to low-poverty neighborhoods, the Urban Institute did a study that analyzed 43 SOID laws passed between 2001 and 2017. They noted that before these laws were enacted, only one in four families with vouchers lived in low-poverty neighborhoods, and the concentration of voucher holders in high-poverty areas was growing. After SOID laws were passed, access to lower-poverty neighborhoods improved, although "with a 3- to 4-year lag" for laws to take into effect.

Despite the rise in SOID laws enacted nationwide and the positive mobility outcomes for voucher holders they have supported, it was asserted that "too few households reach low-poverty, high-opportunity neighborhoods, and too many households are unable to find housing with their vouchers." A paired-testing study HUD conducted in partnership with the Urban Institute between 2016 and 2017 evidenced the pervasiveness of landlord discrimination as an explanation for the "stubborn and persistent challenges" that families with housing choice vouchers face.

Lessons From State and Local Implementation of SOID

The second panel discussion presented insights from practitioners in Baltimore and New York. The panelists discussed the specifics of SOID laws in their respective jurisdictions, enforcement mechanisms, and strategies for engaging landlords to enhance housing access. Since 2019, New York state law has protected SOI under human rights legislation and prohibited discrimination against legal sources of income in housing advertisements. The law covers numerous SOI categories, including various forms of public assistance, and incorporates provisions for individuals to pursue legal action through state courts or the Division of Human Rights. 

BRHP's Crutchfield explained that Maryland's 2020 Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, which expanded SOI protections statewide, addressed negative provisions in earlier city-level SOI laws. For example, in Baltimore, the act ended the practice of allowing landlords with a certain percentage of HCV tenants to reject future voucher applicants.

Despite these advances, both the New York representative and Crutchfield noted that landlords' efforts to evade enforcement present ongoing challenges for HCV holders. Crutchfield shared anecdotes from clients of BRHP's housing counseling team that faced discriminatory screening practices and neighborhood resistance. For example, tenants have reported that some landlords impose stringent credit score requirements or income multipliers, and homeowners associations sometimes amend their bylaws to introduce additional screening criteria related to criminal records. 

Incentivizing Landlord Participation in Antidiscrimination

Speakers on both panels agreed that strategies to incentivize landlord participation can make SOID protection more effective. Crutchfield described BRHP's proactive marketing to landlords, including conducting social media campaigns to promote the benefits of renting to voucher holders. BRHP also produces webinars to educate landlords about the involved legal requirements.

Still, all agreed these efforts are just the beginning. "There's more work to be done around educating landlords, and there's more work to be done around understanding what might change landlord behavior, but this is an encouraging time to [be gaining] more evidence about the value that these laws bring to voucher holders and their outcomes." New York's office is currently partnering with a behavioral insights team to understand and address landlords' awareness and perceptions of SOID.

Read the October 1, 2024 PD&R article.