SECRET MEETING WITH PLANTATION WORKERS ABOUT INJUSTICE

The employees of Connecticut Juvenile Training School and Department of Children and Families Hamilton Street office contacted DCF Plantation staff writers. The goal of these employees was and is to discuss the racial injustice, bias, and white supremacy that exists within both organizations. Such a meeting as this is historic in many respects, for years certain members of DCF Plantation hierarchy tried to keep employees from talking about racial bias or injustice. Those in charge of the DCF white supremacy leadership used unsavory tactics to silence any possible opposition to their rule, even going so far as to fire former CJTS employee Cornell Lewis [ also founder of this blog ] on trumped up charges. However an arbitrator found Lewis had been fired for no justifiable reason and ordered DCF to rehire him. All of these shenanigans surrounding Lewis came about because he organized workers to file a class action lawsuit concerning racial discrimination. During the seven years Lewis et al. were fighting for justice other plantation workers would not help, shying away from people filing the lawsuit.

Now however it seems like there is some sort of consciousness raising among those oppressed and embattled workers from both facilities. Over the past few months lawmakers have held hearings about CJTS use of restraints on residents, the Child Advocate Office released a scathing report about CJTS and DCF. Youth Service Officer Dupree has been made the poster child of harmful restraints at CJTS, might I might add Dupree is this muscular black man-and of course white management put the blame of incompetent leadership on Dupree.. as reasons why that facility is in disarray.

Employees from both facilities sat down at a local eatery in Hartford to discuss issues they felt are representative of their particular institutions. According to Hamilton Street workers " we are pushed to perform at levels that cause stress for us. White management is using children of color to enhance the power of DCF and frustration grows at Hamilton Street office. Just because Commissioner Joette Katz promoted a black man to be second in command at DCF has no bearing on the fact discrimination is still rampant at Hamilton Street facility. Hell, the black man who is second in charge has no real power within a facility rampant with white supremacy." When it came to CJTS employees this was said " There is no doubt racism exists at our facility, we see it in how overtime is doled out to those people [ usually white ] management looks upon with favor. We [ YSOs ] are made out to be scapegoats for this dysfunctional facility and hoe management has run it into the ground. When we try organizing white leadership goes after all employees they consider threats. We realize now that when Cornell Lewis was an employee those things he said about CJTS were and are still true. Superintendent Rosenbeck never comes out of his office to manage this facility, when we bring him empirical data concerning injustice or racial bias his reply is  'I did not know', then things never get better." The meeting concluded with vows for future actions at both facilities by employees to highlight injustice which occur.

alea iacta est [ the die is cast ].