A Brooklyn real estate broker is getting slammed with a $20,000 fine from the Human Rights Commission for allegedly turning away potential tenants on the basis that they have kids, the Post reports.
Former Fillmore Real Estate broker Michael Jenkins posted on Craigslist in 2011 in search of a "family" in possession of two incomes—but zero children—to fill a one-bedroom on East 85th Street in Canarsie. Or as he put it: “A FAMILY SIZE OF 2 PEPOLE [sic] ONLY !!!!!!!!” and “WE MUST HAVE A WORKING COUPLE WITH 2 INCOMES.”
Investigators reached out to Jenkins, with one pretending to be married with no kids, and another who planned to move in with his pregnant girlfriend. Jenkins told the latter he was "unsure" whether the owners would accept tenants expecting a baby, and later told the investigator the apartment had been rented. (A lie!)
Jenkins told the tabloid he doesn't intend to participate in the hearings, saying he was only following the orders of his employer. “That’s not discrimination from my point [of view]. I don’t control who gets an apartment and who doesn’t,” he said. Plus, he added, the Commission will never be able to collect the money, anyway: Jenkins said he no longer works in real estate and is "flat broke." No dual income, eh? Let's hope he's not applying for an apartment through Fillmore Real Estate anytime soon.
