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Donald Sterling's Wife Voiced Her Own Racist Comments About Blacks and Latinos, Say Court Records
New York Daily News ^ | April 30, 2014 | Kevin Armstrong

Posted on 05/01/2014 4:32:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Shelly Sterling — who distanced herself from her spouse’s hate speech in a statement on Monday — was accused in a 2009 deposition related to a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Sterlings of saying that Latinos were filthy and that she had called one of her husband’s tenants a 'black mother------.'

Clippers coach Doc Rivers voiced his support of Donald Sterling’s wife following Sterling’s lifetime ban from the NBA on Tuesday, although it was unclear if Rivers was aware of reports that Shelly Sterling had expressed her own bigotry against blacks and Latinos in court records uncovered this week.

“It’s a tough one for Shelly, she didn’t do anything wrong, either,” Rivers said after Tuesday night’s Clipper victory over Golden State in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs. “You have compassion for her.”

But Wednesday, when asked if her presence at future games could be a distraction, he said: ‘Yeah, it could.

“Obviously if it were overbearing, it would be. Let’s just be honest. That was an individual circumstance as far as the game the other night and even the one in Golden State that she came to. I wish I knew the right way on that one. I don’t. I think that’s a 50-50 one if you want to be honest.”

Shelly Sterling — who distanced herself from her spouse’s hate speech in a statement on Monday — was accused in a 2009 deposition related to a federal discrimination lawsuit against the Sterlings of saying that Latinos were “filthy” and that she had called one of her husband’s tenants a “black motherf-----.”

The accusations, made by tenant Darrell Rhodes, was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Shelly Sterling attended Tuesday night’s game at the Staples Center, cheering from a suite rather than her usual courtside seat. She had called Rivers earlier in the day to ask whether he thought it was appropriate for her to come. Rivers encouraged her to do so. “She’s been through as much as anyone,” Rivers said. “She asked if she could come. I thought it was a very nice gesture. She just wanted the players to know she loved them. I thought why not?”

Rivers was asked whether he thought Shelly could potentially assume ownership of the team, and he noted that he did not believe such a transfer of power could take place.

A high-ranking NBA source told the Daily News on Tuesday that the NBA considered asking Donald Sterling to transfer control of the team to his wife.

Roger Mason Jr., the National Basketball Players Association vice president, told Yahoo! Sports, “We’re looking for a change in ownership. A complete change.”

The 2009 deposition of Rhodes, along with the Justice Department’s discrimination suit on behalf of other minority tenants, was resolved in a $2.765 million settlement that same year.

Rhodes said he was asking Shelly Sterling about a rent cut when she lashed out, the court documents showed. “I asked her, ‘Would you reduce the rent?’ ” Rhodes recalled in the deposition. “And she said, ‘Who do you think you are, you black motherf-----?’

“The way in which she said motherf----- was more lower voiced, under her breath. She said black loud enough for me to hear. She said mother loud enough for me to hear. F--- part was a little lower. I had to look at her lips to hear her say it. And I did.”

Maira Oliva, a building manager at a Sterling property, said there was no lip-reading needed when Shelly Sterling bad-mouthed minority tenants to her.

“She said, ‘Oh my God. This is so filthy. I can’t remodel my apartments the way I want because Latinos are so filthy,’” Oliva recalled in her 2009 deposition.

Asked specifically what Shelly Sterling said, Oliva again quoted the billionaire wife’s remark: “I can’t remodel my building the way I want and that the building was filthy because of the Latinos.”

The Sterlings admitted no wrongdoing in their settlement of the lawsuits. But Donald Sterling was accused in court papers of making similar racist cracks about black and Hispanic tenants.

According to the suit, Sterling said he didn’t want to rent to Hispanics because “they smoke, drink and just hang around the building.”

As for black tenants, Sterling was charged with saying they “smell and attract vermin.” On Sunday, Shelly Sterling said, “I’m not a racist,” she said. “Never have been, never will be.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; clippers; donaldsterling; donsterling; losangeles; losangelesclippers; naacp; nba; rochellesterling; vanessastiviano
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1 posted on 05/01/2014 4:32:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Apparently Donald didn’t care for Christians, neither.

But still, it doesn’t justify what’s being done to him.


2 posted on 05/01/2014 4:33:15 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

Where did it say that?


3 posted on 05/01/2014 4:33:52 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Saw it in an article I read last night.


4 posted on 05/01/2014 4:35:07 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: nickcarraway

I’m living in an alternate universe now I guess.

If you have apartments and the tenants are hispanics and the tenants are making a filthy mess of the place, is it really hate speech if you dare refer to the hispanics in your apartments as being “filthy”.

This crap is just childish and ridiculous the degree to which we are letting the left screw things up.

Her quote might be embarrassing, might be politically incorrect, but please. PLUS we are talking about someone else’s testimony and you will note when asked twice, she attributed two different quotes to the wife.

This is all stupid and hardly a surprise that people who grew up in the 40’s refer to races as was common in their day. It is NOT a big deal.


5 posted on 05/01/2014 4:41:57 PM PDT by Williams
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To: nickcarraway

The game is whites are evil inherently racist, but we can only refer to other races in the most glowing terms. So let’s all pretend there are not people living in the cities who fit the stereotypes of dirty slum dwellers. And let’s all be lynched for private conversations in which people observe the facts.


6 posted on 05/01/2014 4:45:15 PM PDT by Williams
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To: dfwgator
doesn't justify

He made comments in a techno social media world, and it bit him. It's not so much that it isn't fair as that it's fair warning that there is no such thing as private anymore.

So far as the NBA, they basically fired him, drummed him out, and that's pretty much within the purview of every organization.

7 posted on 05/01/2014 4:53:32 PM PDT by xzins ( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)
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To: nickcarraway

So what? Who cares what any of them said? We have a First Amendment. Why does political correctness trump the Constitution? When did words become illegal? It’s disgusting.

What if we all just stipulated that we’re racists (even though we’re not, and they’re the true racists) just so the left would STFU? Just take the topic off the table. Then what would they do? Kind-of like Breitbart’s “SO?”. Maybe everyone could move on and discuss actual issues.

They’re pathetic and stupid. (But I don’t mean that in a bad way.) :)


8 posted on 05/01/2014 4:53:33 PM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: Williams

My Mom and Aunt co-own a 7 unit apartment building(It belonged to my grandmother til she died so they took over owning it) one of the tenants has lived there for I think 15 years, all you see is junk, junk on the balcony that its actually a fire hazard..my Mom told him on the phone “It looks like Compton in there” so the guy, a Mexican who has 3 kids living in the house told my Mom “Oh your a racist that’s a racist thing to say” It wasn’t racist, it was an observation..but these people they have so much power, you can’t kick them out, you have to pay them to leave your own building its terrible being a landlord


9 posted on 05/01/2014 4:55:41 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: Williams
This crap is just childish and ridiculous the degree to which we are letting the left screw things up.

Yes! Everything has become like kindergarten the last few years. The last time I thought about concepts like "bullies" and "bossy" and "shaming" I was in 2nd grade. It's all so bizarro.

10 posted on 05/01/2014 4:59:47 PM PDT by uncitizen
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To: nickcarraway

Watch now. There will be a slew of leftists trying to get rich business owners divested of their wealth based on “bigoted” comments. As long as they, the rich people, are white that is.


11 posted on 05/01/2014 5:10:50 PM PDT by driftless2
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To: nickcarraway

It is going to become a real “Crucible” until the day that people get tired of this nonsense.


12 posted on 05/01/2014 5:31:57 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Do The Math)
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To: Sarah Barracuda

its terrible being a landlord.”

Years ago we rented out our cute small 3 br house when we moved to a larger one. Tenants were son and dil of good friends of my parents and they all went to church together. After about 3 months they quit paying rent. Several months we tried to evict and finally had utilities turned off. Finally got my parents involved with renter’s parents and got them out. Had to strip most of the walls down to the studs, tear out and throw away carpet and replace the stove, sinks, toilet and bathtub. I would never, ever again rent anything to anyone.

I rented for a lot of years in a lot of different cities and always left the place better than I found it. Not the attitude of most tenants though.


13 posted on 05/01/2014 5:34:02 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: nickcarraway

Maybe the critics are just being anti-Semitic.


14 posted on 05/01/2014 5:34:25 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Do The Math)
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To: dfwgator

Billionaire trailer trash

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/donald-sterling-caught-pants-article-1.1775971

15 posted on 05/01/2014 5:44:56 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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V. Stiviano wasn’t the only one to catch Donald Sterling with his pants down! Another former mistress, Alexandra Castro, leaked this photo.


16 posted on 05/01/2014 5:47:14 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: nickcarraway

She can say whatever she want; she’s not a party to the owners agreement. If he sells her the team, then she’s bound by it.


17 posted on 05/01/2014 5:55:22 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (When I first read it, " Atlas Shrugged" was fiction)
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To: Williams

Has anyone mentioned that the evil Donald Sterling grew up in East Los Angeles, a hell hole even back then? He came from nothing and made himself a very successful man. I’ll bet his parents did not have a “filthy” home, but it was anything but fancy.

People get jealous, and want to take out their own failures and limitations on those who have created a successful life from nothing.


18 posted on 05/01/2014 6:07:13 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Sarah Barracuda
but these people they have so much power, you can’t kick them out, you have to pay them to leave your own building its terrible being a landlord

Pay them to leave? How awful.

I rented a house for ten years out in the woods on an island. Left it in better shape than when I moved in. Lots of tenants on that island paid to have improvements made, because the landlords didn't think they had to do anything; it was a privilege to rent on that very expensive island. And they were right, it was. I had the interior painted twice and also tore out a very old carpet and had laminate installed. Landlord was happy, I was happy, and the rent did not go up.

BUT the landlord's cousin had his rental house wrecked by tenants to the extent of ruined appliances, huge holes in walls...

19 posted on 05/01/2014 6:16:02 PM PDT by Veto! (OpInions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Veto!

In Los Angeles, the laws protect the tenant, NOT the landlord..so many times my Mom has had to kick out people for non payment of rent and it takes MONTHS to get rid of them..some of these tenants have been there since my grandmother rented to them so its hard getting rid of them..we called the health department on that guy because his place was a fire hazard, so he had to “Promise” to clean up, so he cleaned up just to pass the inspection, now its back to looking like crap again..you name it, its on the balcony, if anyone is underneath there and it collapses they are dead


20 posted on 05/01/2014 6:19:38 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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