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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today sued several Meridian, Mississippi landlords for violating the federal Fair Housing Act by segregating residential rental properties into "white" and "black" units and maintaining race-coded vacancy lists and telephone logs. The complaint, filed in United States District Court in Jackson, Mississippi, accuses four companies and three individuals of a broad pattern of race discrimination for not informing African Americans who sought housing of vacancies in designated "white" properties.

"It is shocking that, at the turn of the 21^st century, there are still landlords who segregate their rental properties according to the race of the residents," said Bill Lann Lee, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "This conduct has been illegal for more than 30 years, and we intend to prosecute anyone who acts in such an egregious manner to the full extent of the law."

A joint investigation by the United States Attorney's Office in Jackson and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division led to the lawsuit, which seeks civil penalties, injunctive relief, and compensatory and punitive damages for persons harmed by the alleged discrimination. The lawsuit also accuses defendants of imposing more onerous terms on black tenants and of wrongfully evicting black tenants from designated white properties, which include trailer parks, apartments, and single-families homes throughout Meridian, Mississippi and Lauderdale County.

"It is both deeply wrong and completely against the law for a landlord to deny a family their choice of a place to live because the family happens to be African-American," said United States Attorney Brad Pigott. "Under the allegations we make today as a result of our investigation, these Meridian-area landlords have forced their tenants into racial segregation in housing while concealing from those tenants what they were doing and why they were doing it," added Pigott.

Named as defendants are Alden "Bubber" Wallace of Meridian, Mississippi, and four companies in which he has an ownership interest: Wallace Rentals LLC; Wallace Management and Development Corp.; Amerihomes LLC, and The Management Group LLC. These companies own and manage more than 200 residential rental units. The complaint also identifies as defendants Alden Wallace's mother, Nell Wallace, who owns several residential rental properties, and his wife, Priscilla "Missy" Wallace, who assists in property management.

"What is so insidious about the type of discrimination alleged in this case is that it is nearly invisible to its victims." Lee said. "People who sought housing from these defendants may have been turned away or steered toward particular housing, and may not be aware that they were denied opportunities because of their race."

Defendants' properties include the Valley Mobile Home Park, the Louie Lee apartment building on Frontage Road, trailer parks and homes on Jeffrey Acres Road, Causeyville Road, and Long's Lane, and other single family dwellings. Anyone who has information about this case, or believes he/she was a victim of discrimination, is asked to call the United States Attorney's Office at 601-965-4480 or the Justice Department's Housing and Civil Enforcement Section at 1-800-896-7743.

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