Hispanic Business Leaders Say City Favors Firms Owned by White Women

By ROBERT GARCIA

The New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce on Tuesday announced a lawsuit against the city charging that a local law passed in January designed to benefit minority and women business owners in fact discriminated against minorities by favoring white women.

The law, which revised an earlier law, was based on a so-called “disparity study” indicating that businesses owned by white women were at a disadvantage since they were more likely to be denied credit.

“It is egregious that our mayor put this study forward that is detrimental to the Latino community,” said Kenny Rodan, an attorney for the coalition.

“It’s racist, it’s benefiting white women and when air jordan 6 you benefit white women you benefit white men.”

The lawsuit, filed recently in Bronx Supreme Court, seeks to block the new law and reinstate the earlier one.

The suit’s sponsors argue that the law lowered goals for Hispanic construction firms from nine percent to four percent. Construction firms owned by white women were increased from none to 18 percent.