Black woman sues landlord after housing discrimination

Natasha Kelly a 34-year-old black German woman is suing her former landlord. In December 2007 he evicted her from an apartment in Osnabrueck/Western Germany because she was black and a single mother. In his eviction notice he wrote: “Some of the other tenants are unhappy about your background and skin colour and your personal situation as a single mother,” and he continued “Some of the elderly ones have been here for 40 years and I cannot ask them to leave.” The landlord assured that he was forced to expel Ms. Kelly from the apartment since other parties in the building put pressure on him. After receiving the notice Ms. Kelly sued the landlord for discrimination and demanding 10,000 euros, according to DW-World.de. This case will likely set a precedent in the application of Germany’s anti-discrimination law, which came into effect in August 2006 in Germany. It forbids discrimination based on a person’s origins, skin colour, age, disabilities or sexual orientation.