>>
>> Reporter: DORSEY FACES LIFE BEHIND BARS4@.
BEHIND BARS4@. >> WHAT DO THE LETTERS KKK ME
TOO YOU?
TOO YOU?
TOO YOU? THEY ARE A SYMBOL OF HATE.
A LOCAL PROPERTY MANAGER FACING
TOUGH QUESTIONS AFTER 4@OUR TEA
LEARNED THE THREE LETTERS
APPEAR4@ED IN ONLINE APPLICATIO
FOR THREE D.C. APARTMENT
BUILDINGS.
BUILDINGS. THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY SAYS
THEY HAVE NO IDEA.
TONIGHT INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER4
WHITNEY WILD IS DIVING INTO THE
LETTER OF THE LAW.
>> THE FIRST REACTION HAS BEEN
UTTER SHOCK.
UTTER SHOCK. >> IT IS PAINFUL.
>> Reporter: 4@IN THE NATION'S
CAPITAL WE ARE PROUD OF OUR
DIVERSITY.
DIVERSITY. SO WHEN THIS WOMAN CAME UPON
THE LETTERS KKK WHILE SEARCHING
FOR A HOME, SHE WAS STUNNED.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST THOUGHT IN
YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SAW THOSE
LETTERS?
LETTERS?
LETTERS? >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. LITERALLY THE FIRST WORD THIS
CAN'T BE.
CAN'T BE.
CAN'T BE. NO.
NO.
NO. >>
NO. >> Reporter: WE AGREED NOT TO
SHARE HER IDENTITY.
SHE SAYS BACK IN DECEMBER SHE
WAS PLANNING TO APPLY FOR AN
APARTMENT MANAGED --
>> I GO ONLINE AND ONE OF THE
FIRST QUESTIONS YOU HAVE TO
ANSWER OR CAN'T PROCEED IS HOW
YOU KNOW ABOUT HOW DID YOU FIND
OUT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR
PROPERTY. THE SCREENSHOT TAKEN
IN DECEMBER SHOWS ONE OF THE
PRESET OPTIONS, KKK.
>> YOU LOOK AT THAT WEBSITE YOU
SEE THOSE THREE LETTERS WHAT IS
THE MESSAGE THAT SENDS TO YOU?
>> THAT I AM NOT WANTED.
THAT I AM NOT -- I DON'T
DESERVE TO BE IN THAT PLACE.
IT IS A BIG4@, FLASHING DO NOT
COME HERE WE DON'T WANT YOU.
>> Reporter: SHE SAYS ON
DECEMBER 5th SHE SENT THE
LEASING AGENT THIS PHOTO WITH A
SIMPLE TEXT MESSAGE.
WHAT ORGANIZATION IS THIS,
HIGHLIGHTED?
HIGHLIGHTED? REPLY THAT IS A TYPO THE
MARKETING DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO
ADDRESS.4@ 4@
ADDRESS.4@ 4@ FIVE MONTHS LATER WE SAW
NOTHING HAD CHANGED.
WE TOOK THESE PHOTOS MAY 17,
SHOWING THE SAME KKK 4@LETTERS
THIS WOMAN SAW.
THEY APPEARED AS PART OF THE
APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THREE
PROPERTIES BUT NOT OTHER
PROPERTIES IN THE DISTRICT,
ARLINGTON, NOR ALEXANDRIA.
OVERMANAGED BY ALVIN AVENUE INC.
BUT THE EXPERIENCES WERE
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. >> THERE WASN'T ANY APOLOGY OR
OUTRAGE,4@ A TYPO.
>> Reporter: SHE TOOK HER
CONCERNS TO THE EQUAL RIGHTS
CENTER, NONPROFIT DEDICATED TO
ANTIDISCRIMINATION.
ANTIDISCRIMINATION. >> HAVING THE INITIALS ON THE
WEBSITE IS HARMFUL NO MATTER
WHAT THE INTENTION WAS.
IF EVERYBODY'S FIRST RESPONSE
IS THAT HAS TO MEAN SOMETHING
ELSE IT MEANS WHAT THEY ARE
INTERPRETING IT AS TO BEGIN
WITH IS IT STANDS FOR --
>> Reporter: THEY FOUND THAT
THE TREATMENT OF TESTERS ON THE
BASIS OF RACE WAS VERY SIMILAR.
ERC STILL SENT THIS LETTER
DEMANDING THE COMPANY REMOVE 4@
KKK FROM THE WEBPAGE AND ACTING
-- ASKING FOR DAMAGES.
THE LETTER DISAPPEARED WITH NO
OTHER 4@ENTRY.
OTHER 4@ENTRY. >> CERTAINLY QUESTIONS THAT I
THINK THE HOUSING PROVIDER
NEEDS TO ANSWER.
>> WE CALLED4@ ALVIN L. AUBINOE
INC.
INC.
INC. AND
INC. AND THEY SAID THEY WERE SHOCKED
BY THE EXISTENCE AND DID NOT
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. WILL WE TEXTED THE LEASING AGENT
WE WERE REFERRED BACK TO 4@THE
STATEMENT.
STATEMENT. THE COMPANY EXPLAINED WHILE THE
APPLICATION WEBSITE IS LINKED
THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, ALVIN L. 4@
AUBINOE, INC.
AUBINOE, INC. IS NOT ABLE TO MAKE ENTRIES,
CHANGES OR EDITS AND THEREFORE
TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY.
WE TRACK DOWN THE WEB PROVIDER,
ON SITE, WHOSE PARENT COMPANY,
REAL PAGES SENT AS THIS
STATEMENT. 4@
STATEMENT. 4@ WE ARE AWARE OF THE SITUATION
AND ACTIVELY WORKING TO LEARN
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT
EXACTLY OCCURRED.
EXACTLY OCCURRED. WE ARE TAKING THIS ISOLATED
INCIDENT VERY SERIOUSLY4@ AND W
WILL SHARE MORE INFORMATION AS
IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.
>> 4@DOES IT MATTER IF IT WAS A
MISTAKE?
MISTAKE?
MISTAKE? >> 4@THIS IS VERY STRANGE, ODD
AND SUSPICIOUS IF IT IS A 4@
MISTAKE.
MISTAKE.
MISTAKE. AND UNLIKELY TYPO.
BUT IF IT IS A MISTAKE I'M NOT
SURE IT DOES MATTER.
HEATHER ABRAHAM A FAIR HOUSING4
ATTORNEY WITH GEORGETOWN'S
LEGAL CLINIC.
LEGAL CLINIC. SHE SAYS INTENTION MATTERS BUT @
SO DOES INTERPRETATION.
THE FINAL DECISION USUALLY
COMES FROM THE COURT.
>> AND YOU SEE BY LOOKING UP
THE APARTMENT FORM THAT IF 4@
SOMEONE THINKS THOSE THREE
LETTERS MEANS4@ KKK THEN THE
AFFECT IS IN P4@LACE?
>> THAT IS A COMPLICATED
QUESTION.
QUESTION.
QUESTION. WE CAN'T SAY DEFINITIVELY
WHETHER OR NOT THAT IS A LEGAL.
>> Reporter: THOSE THREE
LETTERS CLEARLY SPOKE TO THIS
WOMAN.
WOMAN.
WOMAN. SHE SAYS HOW LONG THEY LINGERED
SAID THE MOST.
>> SOMETIMES IN ACTION SPEAKS
VOLUMES.
VOLUMES.
VOLUMES. >> Reporter: IN ADDITION TO
ASKING FOR DAMAGES, ERC ALSO
ASKING ALVIN L. AUBINOE, INC.
FOR4@ A $10,000 DONATION TO
ANTIDISC4@RIMINATION GROUP AND
COMPLIANCE TESTING AMONG OTHER
REQUESTS.
REQUESTS.
REQUESTS. THIS AFTERNOON ALVIN L.
AUBINOE, INC.
AUBINOE, INC. SENT US A STATEMENT IN THE
COMPANY DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE
AGAINST ANY