Michigan Authorities Start Probe into Bias of Property Owners

Seventeen persons, including this city’s Police Commissioner, Herbert W, Hart, are under subpoena today, and others are expected to be served tomorrow, in a state investigation of charges that racial and religious discrimination is being practiced by property owners in a swank suburban residential area.

The area includes five communities embraced in Grosse Pointe, Those subpoenaed include officers, directors and employees of a real estate brokers’ association, a property owners’ association, and the overall group known as Grosse Pointe Inc. According to State Attorney General Paul L. Adams, the Grosse Pointe communities have employed private detectives who use a “point screening” system to rate prospective purchasers of Grosse Pointe Horres.

The detectives rate the prospective buyer on the answers to such questions as: Is his way of living American What is his occupation? Is it typical of his own race? Are his friends predominantly American or otherwise? Is his complexion swarthy–very, medium, slightly, not at all? Is his name typically American? Typical of his own race? Is his dress neat, slovenly, conservative, flashy? What is his religion? Is his grammar good, fair or poor?

Prospective purchasers, as a whole, need to “pass” only 50 points of the potentially perfect score of 100, However, Jews need to pass on 85 points; southern Europeans need 65 points Poles must pass with 55 points. Negroes and Orientals cannot “pass” even with 100 points.

The Attorney General’s probe of the Grosse Pointe discriminations has been joined by Lawrence E. Gubow, the State’s commissioner for corporations and securities. Both officials declared that more subpoenas will be issued in addition to the 17 already served. The brokers group which is among those charged with bias defended the screening system today by declaring that “it is a plan for keeping the peace, for keeping in check the ill will that can arise over loss of real estate values.”