I love my slumlord

The archives of the yellow blog are fraught with tales of the vicissitudes of apartment living in New Orleans. Over the years, I have indeed been granted my share of thrills. From the occasional rodent infestation, to the repeated kitchen ceiling collapse, to the air-conditioner wars, to the babbling brook, to the Shut Up, Little Man plumbing guys, the trip has indeed been a long and strange one.

Today, however, I find it necessary to point out that for all of its oddities, the management of my building could be far worse than it actually is. For example, instead of comically grappling to keep up with the foibles of a quirky building, my Slumlord could instead be engaged in the rampant racial housing discrimination that now permeates over 50% of the local rental market.

Black residents encountered discrimination nearly six times out of 10 when apartment hunting in the New Orleans area post-Katrina, according to a new study released Tuesday by a local civil rights group.

The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center sent white and black testers to check out advertised rentals in four parishes between September 2006 and April 2007. The study found disparities in how landlords treat prospective tenants based on skin color.

In nearly 58 percent of searches throughout a four-parish area, black prospective renters were stonewalled while white applicants were welcomed, said James Perry, executive director of the housing group.

Anyone familiar with the informal "insider's" culture of New Orleans knows that this practice is nothing new. Oyster provides anecdotal witness to this here. I suspect though that the tighter post-flood housing market has only emboldened such behavior and so I'm glad to see someone shine some light on it.

I have stated before that since the flood, I have gained a new appreciation for my Slumlord. The rent has risen over the past 20 months but only marginally. I suspect, in fact, that the increase has not offset the increased operational costs. And the place.. despite the episodic strangeness (which, in truth, I've always perversely enjoyed to some degree).. remains a substantial bargain for its size and location. Furthermore, I can't imagine anyone could charge building management with the sort of discriminatory practices described in the article above. The racial make-up of the occupants traces well with the city's demographics at large.

It startles me to consider the fact that I've lived in this apartment for nearly eight years now. I suppose this must mean that I am comfortable. Either that or it means I absolutely hate moving.. or any change at all for that matter... which is true, I admit.

Until such time as I am convinced of the wisdom of enslaving oneself to nefarious creditors for the purpose of investing in one's very own "mud hut", I suppose I'll continue shoveling away rent money on this dump. Besides.. June is coming. Who knows how long any of us will be here anyway?