OPEN LETTER TO FORMER
GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER

We understand that your father Bernard Spitzer is gravely ill and that you are now in charge of your father's affairs and have authority over his real estate business and therefore we address this letter to you.

In 1999 we four African American men who worked as doormen and porters were fired from our jobs at 150 E. 57th Street, Manhattan - a building owned by your father. We were subjected to repeated and systematic racial harassment in an effort to get us to quit.

We were fired without cause and were all replaced by white workers.

This harassment included doormen being required to clean the building toilets with a tooth brush and continually being slurred by management using the "N-word." The Union would never have permitted this kind of treatment of workers, but we were all fired just short of our eligibility for Union membership.

There can be no doubt that Bernard Spitzer knew fully about management's treatment of us and in fact, there is very substantial evidence that management acted at his behest. We are prepared to prove this at trial. Nonetheless, we contacted Bernard Spitzer directly to appeal for our jobs and our repeated calls were not returned.

We filed suit in the New York Courts but a series of delaying tactics by your father's lawyers have kept this case from going to trial for almost nine years. Only weeks ago, Bernard Spitzer's lawyers moved to dismiss this case.

Now that you have authority over your father's companies, we urge you to fix this injustice and redeem your father's reputation by reaching an honorable settlement for this past racial discrimination.

It's time for the Spitzers to do the right thing and settle this case with dignity.

The 57th Street Four