This column appears in the August 15 - 22 edition of the
Hartford News. Please forward widely!
David Samuels
Founder
Community Party
http://www.facebook.com/CommunityPartyAction
Cornell Lewis Speaks Out
Jashon Bryant/Trayvon Martin Act Update: Big shout out to
the white Hartford Police officer who delayed rush hour traffic on Albany
Avenue in the North End last week. This cop was in his cruiser at a traffic
light talking to another white man in a BMW next to him. These two continued
their conversation after the light turned green; the cop appeared to be daring
anyone behind him to blow their horn. If a North End resident did this they
would be ticketed for obstructing traffic, if not arrested.
This officer proved Huey P. Newton's point about the police
occupying low income communities of color like a foreign troop occupies
territory. His behavior was an example of one of the containment tactics
(intimidation) that the police utilize in Black/Brown communities. Say NO to
police containment of urban neighborhoods. Support the Community Party's Jashon
Bryant/Trayvon Martin Act. We had a conference call on Monday to discuss
strategy. Stay tuned for further updates.
*************************************************************************************
Activist Cornell Lews spoke to CP last week about his firing
by the Department of Children and Families. Cornell had been an outspoken
critic about structural racism at that agency during his nearly 7 year tenure.
His case includes classic signs of workplace mobbing, as his termination was
preceded by hyper-scrutiny from DCF management. This was evident in the content
of emails Cornell has received through Freedom of Information Act requests. A
hearing on Cornell's termination has been postponed until September; he
maintains that DCF fired him in retaliation for his activism. "My
punishment was draconian," Cornell said. "The white employee who was
involved in the incident is back at work while the Latino worker remains out on
administrative leave." Statistics
that Cornell obtained from DCF through FOI requests support his contention.
Black and Latino employees comprise less than half of the DCF employee roster,
yet they constitute approximately 70% of the disciplinary cases. The numbers
also show that people of color are disciplined more harshly than their white
colleagues.
I contacted the DCF office requesting comment from
Commissioner Joette Katz. DCF spokesperson Josh Howroyd said that DCF could not
talk on the record about Cornell, due to pending litigation (Cornell's lawsuit
against DCF). Howroyd also said that Katz could not answer my general question
about whether or not she believes that structural racism exists. Howroyd again
cited pending litigation as the reason. I was puzzled by this response, because
Katz met with Cornell twice in March 2011; Cornell told me that structural
racism was a part of their conversation. Cornell's DCF lawsuit was filed in
2010. Howroyd said in his phone message that I should feel free to contact him
if I had any other questions, yet he did not return my two follow-up calls
requesting to discuss this contradiction. Cornell said that Katz promised to
look into the complaints of Black and Latino employees at the facility, but did
not speak with him again. Still, Cornell did not have anything negative to say
about Katz. "I got the feeling that Katz was earnest about getting to the bottom
of the problems at CJTS," Cornell said. "I don't know why she didn't
follow up after our meetings." Cornell agreed with my contention that it
wasn't in the interests of DCF to acknowledge the existence of structural
racism at their agency, because they could then be held legally liable.
In my opinion, DCF carried out a 21st century lynching of
Cornell in order to chill dissent among other Black and Latino employees.
Unsatisfied with just taking away his job, DCF is also currently attempting to
get Cornell placed on a blacklist which would hamper his ability to obtain
certain licenses and degrees connected to working with children. "They are
using a nuclear option," Cornell said. "There was hardly a ripple of
discontent when I started at CJTS. Since we organized there has been a lot of
push back by workers of all colors. CJTS wants to prevent their workers from
achieving consciousness. We had circulated petitions. People were reading my
columns about CJTS in the Hartford Inquirer and the West Indian American."
Cornell described the reaction of CJTS employees to his DCF Plantation blog,
including some of his higher paid Black colleagues, who apparently don't want
to rock the boat because they're cashing big checks. "Co-workers find it
interesting, because it describes the world they are in and the people who are
controlling them," Cornell said. "Some people of color don't like it.
They don't want to stand up. Some of these same people complained about CJTS to
me. I find a duality among some Blacks there that is hypocritical."
Cornell is handling his termination with a combination of
philosophical acceptance and defiance. "Nobody goes into a fight and
doesn't get hit," Cornell said. "I'm prepared for the shenanigans
that oppressors pull. I'm not surprised by what happened. I saw the ugly side
of management, which is stacked with caucasians. My grandparents come from the
South; I was told stories about how they were treated. We're not in the South
now, but CJTS is using the same tactics. I'm hearing my grandparents' voices
from the past. Policy and procedure is the rope CJTS used to lynch me. These
people are the same as the ones my grandparents dealt with, only more
educated."
Cornell believes that CJTS has poured gasoline on a fire by
terminating him. "A few more sparks, and CJTS may erupt in racial
conflagration," Cornell said. "The monolithic white consciousness at
DCF refuses to listen to people of color. It's cultural myopia, preventing them
from understanding their Black and Brown employees. DCF needs to listen to
their employees of color. They need to stop being tone deaf. They need to start
listening to what I said about bias and discrimination." Protests are
being organized in support of Cornell. Anyone who is interested in getting
involved should send an email to dcfplantation@gmail.com.
We'll continue to provide updates on Cornell's battle
against DCF. Stay tuned for info on Assemblyman Matt Ritter's town hall on
workplace bullying. CP will introduce our Safe Work Environment Act during the
2014 legislative session. Check out the CP Facebook page
(http://www.facebook.com/CommunityPartyAction). Follow CP on Twitter for state,
national and global headlines and updates on the Jashon /Trayvon Act, also
coming in 2014. Listen to WQTQ 89.9 FM for CP's public service announcement on
our social justice platform. Contact us at 860-206-8879 or
samuelssloflo@aol.com.
Resources:
Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton talks about
police containment of Black communities:
Article on workplace mobbing:
DCF management emails obtained by Cornell Lewis through a
Freedom of Information Act request:
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