{"id":10201,"date":"2013-10-17T00:31:22","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T04:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/?p=10201"},"modified":"2013-12-11T23:47:31","modified_gmt":"2013-12-12T04:47:31","slug":"samuel-cullers-housing-discrimination-case-1954-1957","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/2013\/10\/17\/samuel-cullers-housing-discrimination-case-1954-1957\/","title":{"rendered":"Samuel Cullers Housing Discrimination Case, 1954-1957"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\"Samuel<\/a>
Samuel J. Cullers (right) and Corneal A. Davis, Hartford Redevelopment Project Model. Connecticut History Online<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1954 and 1955 the principal planner for the Hartford Redevelopment Agency applied to rent a two-room garden apartment from McKinley Park Homes in Hartford but was deceitfully informed that there were no more vacancies. This young man, Samuel J. Cullers, was African American and believed that he was being barred from the housing development on racial grounds. Cullers filed\u2014and won\u2014a discrimination complaint against McKinley Park Homes but the Connecticut Supreme Court later overturned the ruling. The court declared that there was \u201cinsufficient evidence\u201d to prove that McKinley Park Homes discriminated against Cullers by failing to supply him with an apartment.<\/p>\n

The Hearing and the Civil Rights Commission Ruling in Favor of Cullers<\/b><\/p>\n

Samuel Cullers was born in Chicago Illinois and graduated from Fisk University with a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology and economics in 1950. Right after graduation Cullers attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a John A. Whitney Fellow where he earned his masters degree in city planning in 1952. Shortly after, Cullers became the principal planner for the Hartford Redevelopment Agency as well as the City Plan Commission (\u201cSamuel Cullers Appointed to Redevelopment Post.\u201d). In 1954 and 1955, when Cullers filed a racial discrimination complaint after applying to rent an apartment from McKinley Park, it appeared that this highly accomplished city planner could not secure the housing he desired solely because he was African American.<\/p>\n

On March 12, 1956 a public hearing called by the State Commission on Civil Rights in the case of Cullers vs. McKinley Park Homes<\/i> was held a the State Capitol at 10 a.m. Attorney Cyril Coleman represented McKinley Park in the dispute, while Assistant Attorney General Raymond J. Cannon represented the Commission. The Connecticut Civil Rights Commission appointed a three-member fact finding board to study and file briefs on the case. The case stated that Samuel J. Cullers, an African-American Hartford resident as well as chief planner in the Hartford Redevelopment Agency, filed a complaint that he was denied entry into McKinley Park Homes twice because of his race. These occasions took place took place in 1954, and April of 1955. The commission entered the case because McKinley Park was under \u201cpublicly assisted housing,\u201d receiving a tax abatement from the city. With this 10-year tax moratorium on its buildings, the development paid only $350,000 when the total assessment of the property was set at $513, 471.\u00a0 Because McKinley Homes had another year to run its abatement during the time of Cullers complaint, this apartment complex was still subject to anti-discrimination policy under the Public Accommodations Act (\u201cMcKinley Park Told to Give Negro Home.\u201d).<\/p>\n

During the time of Cullers complaint there were no African Americans residing in the McKinley Park Homes. Manager of McKinley Park Homes, Diane Shumsky, denied that African Americans were unwelcome as tenants to the apartments stating, \u201cAnybody can live in these apartments as long as they qualify.\u201d On further questioning Shumsky explained that these qualifications had to do with the prospective tenant\u2019s credit rating. At the hearing, Cannon presented evidence that McKinley Park submitted leases to two tenants shortly after Cullers was told there were no vacancies, which supported the claim of racial discrimination. Cullers visited the company on April 18, 1955 when a woman clerk told him there were no more applications available and later informed him that there were no apartments vacant, but on June 8 and June 20 of 1955 two tenants were admitted to McKinley Park Homes respectively. Although Cannon gave evidence that two tenants were admitted to McKinley Park after Cullers applied, Robert W. Gesecus, N.Y. president Presidential Management Corporation, which manages the McKinley development, said under cross-examination that there were no vacancies at the time of Cullers application. He also testified that personal interviews were necessary before applications were seriously considered. Although Cullers applied for an interview he did not receive a letter in return confirming his request, like other applicants had received. Gesecus claimed that he did not know why that was. When asked if the personal interview had something to do with determining the race of the applicant, Gesecus said it did not (\u201cHearing Ends in Case Charging Discrimination.\u201d).<\/p>\n

On June 19, 1956 the board of the Connecticut Commission on Civil Rights found that McKinley Park violated the Public Accommodations Act by refusing to rent an apartment to Cullers because of his race. The board ruled that Samuel Cullers of 101 Adelaide St., must be given an apartment at McKinley Park Homes, on Dauntless Lane, regardless of his race. After the ruling Cullers was enthusiastic about the decision and maintained his interest in renting an apartment at McKinley Park (\u201cMcKinley Park Told to Give Negro Home.\u201d).<\/p>\n

Appeal to Connecticut Superior Court: Ruling is Overturned <\/b><\/p>\n

After the court ruled in favor of Cullers on June 19, McKinley Park homes appealed the board\u2019s findings to the Connecticut Superior Court. Superior Judge John P. Cotter did agree that Cullers\u2019 rent application was dealt with in a way that \u201ccreates a suspicion\u201d but that the findings must be based on \u201csubstantial and competent evidence, not on a mere scintilla of evidence.\u201d Judge Cotter points out that Culler sent his first application in 1954 by mail and made other contact through telephone. The fact that Cullers did not appear in person, Cotter argues, gives evidence that McKinley Park Homes was most likely unaware of his race. When Cullers did visited the company office on April 18, Judge Cotter said that from the evidence it seemed like Cullers was already \u201capprehensive and suspicious\u201d that he was being barred on the basis of race when he entered the building. Furthermore, Cotter argued that based on the actions of the woman clerk, \u201cwe cannot infer an intent to discriminate against Cullers.\u201d Based on this argument, Judge John P. Cotter overturned the Civil Rights Commission ordering McKinley Homes to rent an apartment to Samuel Cullers on the reasoning that there was insufficient evidence of bias (\u201cEvidence of Bias Ruled Insufficient in Rent Case.\u201d).<\/p>\n

Cullers vs. McKinley Park Homes<\/i> was not an exceptional case of racial housing discrimination, as there is much evidence of other instances of discriminatory practices that African Americans living in Hartford faced during the 1950s (\u201cWhere can a Negro Live?\u201d). \u00a0This case makes it evident that during this time affluent African Americans were confronted with housing discrimination, not just lower class African Americans, and that even after anti-discrimination laws were put in place, African Americans continued to be challenged with housing barriers.<\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

\u201cCrime and Courts.\u201d The Hartford Courant<\/i> (1923-1987): Jan 1 1957. ProQuest<\/i>. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence of Bias Ruled Insufficient in Rent Case.\u201d The Hartford Courant<\/i> (1923-1987): Nov 6 1956. ProQuest. <\/i>Web. 8 Oct. 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cHearing Ends in Case Charging Discrimination.\u201d The Hartford Courant<\/i> (1923-1987): Mar 27 1956. ProQuest<\/i>. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cMcKinley Park Told to Give Negro Home.\u201d The Hartford Courant<\/i> (1923-1987): Jun 19 1956. ProQuest<\/i>. Web 8 Oct. 2013.<\/p>\n

Rotberg, Robert. \u201cWhere can a Negro Live?\u201d\u00a0The Hartford Courant (1923-1987)<\/i>: 16. Aug 25 1956.\u00a0ProQuest.\u00a0<\/i>Web. 13 Sep. 2013<\/p>\n

\u201cSamuel Cullers Appointed to Redevelopment Post.\u201d The Hartford Courant<\/i> (1923-1987): Jan 16 1957. ProQuest<\/i>. Web 8 Oct. 2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 In 1954 and 1955 the principal planner for the Hartford Redevelopment Agency applied to rent a two-room garden apartment from McKinley Park Homes in Hartford but was deceitfully informed that there were no more vacancies. This young man, Samuel J. Cullers, was African American and believed that he was being barred from the housing … Continue reading Samuel Cullers Housing Discrimination Case, 1954-1957<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10201"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10997,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10201\/revisions\/10997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/cssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}