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Group: Long Island Apartment Complex Discriminated Against Blacks

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island apartment complex has discriminated against black applicants, a lawsuit alleges.

Elaine Gross, the president of Erase Racism NY, one of two advocacy groups behind the lawsuit, told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall that the Fair Housing Justice Center performed a test by sending white and black men and women to the 74-unit Town House apartment complex in Mineola to express interest in renting one-bedroom apartments.

"African-American testers were either told that there were no apartments available, while the white testers were always told that there were apartments," Gross said. "The African-American testers were also told that the rents were higher than they quoted for the white testers.

Group: Long Island Apartment Complex Discriminated Against Blacks

"There really is no excuse in 2013 this kind of behavior is still taking place," Gross said.

The group is seeking unspecified damages.

The owner of Town House did not return Hall's call seeking comment. In an interview with Newsday, building superintendent Jorge Agudelo denied that the complex discriminates.

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