This column appears in the November 7 - 14 edition of the Hartford News. Please forward widely!
David Samuels
Founder
Community Party
http://www.facebook.com/CommunityPartyAction
Special Report: CJTS Employee Allegedly Calls Black/Latino Students Porch Monkeys
This week we'll share a report from activist Cornell Lewis' DCF Plantation blog (http://www.dcfplantation.blogspot.com/) on allegations against a Connecticut Juvenile Training School employee. CJTS workers claim that this employee, who is white, repeatedly referred to Black and Latino students as porch monkeys in front of the students and staff. Cornell was terminated by CJTS in retaliation for speaking out against stuctural racism at that agency. Folks who are interested in showing their support for Cornell can donate to his legal defense fund. www.gofundme.com/Cornel-Defense-Fund You can also sign this petition, which was started by activist Joanna Iovino. http://www.change.org/petitions/governor-dannell-malloy-dcf-commissioner-joette-katz-cjts-superintendent-william-rosenbeck-stop-the-racist-treatment-of-employees-of-color-at-the-ct-juvenile-training-school?share_id=lkFApecncA&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=petition_invitation Stay tuned for info on the Community Party's Safe Work Environment Act and Rep. Matt Ritter's workplace bullying town hall, coming in 2014.
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CALLING RESIDENTS PORCH MONKEYS ?? AND CHAOS AT THE PLANTATION
porch monkey:
A derogatory for a person of African or African American decent. However, it could also mean a generally lazy person. This term came to be when you think of African Americans sitting on their porch chatting it up.
The DCF Plantation has received a number of emails at dcfplantation@gmail.com about a term uttered about black residents at Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown, CT. Several sources claim a white female Youth Service Officer in building # 5 called black & brown residents "porch monkeys." For purposes of clarification the definition of this derogatory term is posted above for readers viewing. Forgive me for going back to the main issue- this; racial animus flowing freely on the CJTS site is just the latest in a long list of actrocities. People of color complained for years to tone deaf CJTS management with no results. As a result of being in denial of racial incidents at CJTS, this kind of putrid negativity continued. Now a white female YSO is said to have used "porch monkey." Will employees of color complain about these comments?
A larger issue for this website writer centers around how management allowed a climate to exist where white employees feel it is okay to say such things. Not long ago people of color complained about how a white male YSO harassed employees of color with racially charged missives. It took an Act of Congress for CJTS to reluctantly deal with that situation. It is no longer reasonable for management coming forth with plausible denial claims; in other words the cat has long been out of the bag, racial ill will exists. In the past management tried to cast any racial discourse as work of a few black trouble makers ( concept of the bad negro); yet those voices that were rejected as extreme and hateful are now being validated ( by actions of a few & empirical data). Will employees of color make official complaints with Human Resources or NAACP?
John the Baptist proclaimed a messiah was coming to earth with a fresh viewpoint for mankind to follow. Historians called him "a voice crying in the wilderness" that no one listened to. Then the truth became flesh as the Bible reads. In a similar vein voices, at CJTS, have cried out about racial animus from white employees. Their words fell on a wilderness of mental indifference from management. John the Baptist lived to hear or see his truth in the flesh ( Jesus). Hell, employees at CJTS have yet to see any real progress in addressing white angst against employees of color. Guess black & brown truth must wait for another voice(s) to make their words into something corporeal ( justice for people treated negatively).
Who said the truth will set you free?
NOW THE MEDIA AND A BRAVE EMPLOYEE CONFRONT RACISM
The story about racist comments ( Porch Monkeys ) by a white female Youth Service Officer at Connecticut JuvenileTraining School was reported by DCFplantation blog this week. Since the initial story on ths website came out, WFSB News channel 3 interviewed a certain CJTS employee about racial comments . You can go to the link posted below and listen to the entire story of how white employees are targeting black or Latino workers. What strikes me as odd is how these Porch Monkey comments by a white female YSO tumbled forth from her lips so easily. Could it be management allowed a climate to exist which enabled whites to say such things?Let us not forget how a white male YSO-for years- said similar things or wrote racially slanted letters ( hanging in plain sight for all to see) but no discipline resulted. What the hell is going on at the plantation?
At this juncture the name of this YSO does not appear in comments offered by DCF spokesman Gary Keeblatt. He might not reveal who this woman is but we do know the following; she is tall, blond, and rumor has it worked as a teacher before transferring to YSO. Whether these facts are true will come out later for all the world to see. DCF talking head figures continue to utter words like " we are racially sensitive to the feelings of others" or how outside groups are coming in for the purpose of giving seminars about race. Why is DCF / CJTS suddenly seeking outside help to address racial issues within state institutions? For years people of color at CJTS wrote grievances, signed petitions, engaged in hunger strikes, held television interviews or went to talk radio about bias at the plantation. At every turn management thwarted people's efforts; often using YSOs to divert attention from real issues ( in order to give management a pass). Racism swept under the rug and sanitized by forums about Diversity Training at CJTS allowed the real problems to fester. A charade called Diversity Action Team came into existence at CJTS and only produced non threatening events ( ethnic lunches or dinners, posters of ethnic heroes on walls in school ). After all that tom foolery about D.A.T. nothing changed. Now people are calling residents Porch Monkeys: management has to act due to the fact their lies can no longer be hidden. Employees are tired of this duplicity played by CJTS and want something to change. Since leaders at the CJTS refuse to honor complaints of long suffering employees it is logical a person would go on public record about racism on the plantation.
There are cracks showing in the walls of CJTS / DCF white hegemony that until a few years ago seemed impossible. However, history teaches how oppressive regimes always come tumbling down. CJTS can fire employees but it won't stop justice from banging on their plantation doors. DCF can host meetings in Middletown about a new girls facility due to open in January and act like there are no issues at CJTS. The winds of social change continue blowing but management does not acknowledge them. And CJTS continues using black & brown youth as commodities or ciphers ( a nonentity), which allows state and federal grants to flow into coffers enriching a white hiearchy ignoring cries from employees for justice and a sense of fair treatment.
Justice will roll down like mighty waters one day at CJTS for the atrocities committed by management. This deluge has been building for years but management ignored it. In this story though Noah won't build any ark for saving management. Hell, hope some brave souls close the door of that ark on management when the time comes.
http://www.wfsb.com/story/23847176/school-employee-accused-of-making-racist-comments
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Check out the Community Party Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/CommunityPartyAction. Follow CP on Twitter for state, national and global headlines, including updates on the developing story at CJTS. https://twitter.com/CommunityParty1 Contact us at 860-206-8879 or samuelssloflo@aol.com.
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