On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, ECBAWM and Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C. filed a lawsuit against UPS on behalf of their client, Gordon Flowers, who lives in the Park & Fox Hill Apartments in Staten Island.

For 30 years, UPS has maintained a “Non-Delivery Policy” for residents of Park & Fox Hill, over 90% of whom are Black or Hispanic: UPS delivers to apartment doors or at least inside nearby buildings of similar size with a greater proportion of white residents. For Park & Fox Hill, though, UPS makes residents walk sometimes upwards of 15 minutes and wait in line outside of the truck, during short time windows, to retrieve their packages.

After years of advocacy and organizing of residents to no changes, Mr. Flowers decided to file this lawsuit in federal court, the Eastern District of New York, representing himself and his fellow residents. The lawsuit alleges that UPS’ “Non-Delivery Policy” is discriminatory against the predominantly Black and brown residents of Park & Fox Hill, violating New York City’s Human Rights Law and New York State’s Civil Rights Law. In a quote, ECBAWM attorney Andrew Wilson stated, “UPS’s policy is discriminatory and wrong because it treats the Hispanic and Black residents of Park Hill and Fox Hill worse than it treats the white residents of nearby buildings.”

“My hope would be for UPS to change their current policy and provide door to door service as every other courier does,” Mr. Flowers said in anticipation of the lawsuit.

Mr. Flowers is represented by ECBAWM attorneys, Andrew Wilson, Diane Houk, and Laura Kokotailo, as well as paralegal, Toby Shore.