HOSTILE MILIEU FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR:MANAGEMENT PROTECTING THEIR OWN

The DCF Plantation website has been contacted about recent incidents at Connecticut Juvenile Training School involving employees of color. Sources indicate certain white employees are / have been creating a hostile workplace environment for employees of color. Most recently a white employee had the unmitigated gall to place negative missives about people of color in public places. Then to add insult to injury, the white employee is verbally harassing employees of color- which includes a black female Union Steward. Several employees of color have gone to CJTS management and objected to this new form of racism (2013 style); however the vociferous protestations from people of color [ to Human Resources] is lost in management's indifference toward these complaints. A hostile milieu for people of color is nothing new at CJTS; in the past a resident was assaulted by a white employee ( read post Weather Gone Wild or "All Eyes On Me" ) with a mild rebuke as discipline. Those administrators paid to run CJTS either are oblivious to a hostile milieu toward employees of color or protecting one of their own. All over CJTS people of color groan under the weight of white oppression and neglect: who is listening? If anything, it seems as if, complaints of a white person creating a visible hostile environment would be met with concern. This is not the case on the DCF Plantation where business as usual has always meant whites protecting their own.

WEATHER GONE WILD OR "ALL EYES ON ME"

In 2009 I attended a Courageous Conversation at Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS). The idea was to discuss racism and bias with leaders from Department of Children and Families (DCF) such as Deputy Commissioner Heidi McIntosh, and Wanda Estrella Human Resources Director. I asked Ms. Estrella a question "what happens if a Youth Services Officer (YSO) at CJTS hit a resident." She replied he/she will be charged with assualt and fired."If this statement is true, by Estrella, then there is a problem at CJTS. A YSO assaulted a youth a few years ago and something else other than a charge of assault or dismissal from their job happened. At this time other YSOs are under a more severe sentence for lesser infractions: YSOs are walked off the property, fired, threatened to be placed on DCFs Central Registry [preventing future jobs working with youth]. I invite readers to look at the documents on this website and determine if the penalty given out for slapping a resident was fair or did management protect this YSO for other reasons.

Click Here For Document One

Click Here For Document Two

ADMINISTRATIVE RATS JUMPING SHIP

Now developments at Connecticut Juvenile Training School are moving faster than the speed of light since discipline is being dispensed to management staff. Due to certain societal pressures from activists and politicans, a half hearted attempt to clean up CJTS corruption is well underway. In the past CJTS management alway focused on Youth Service Officers as whipping boys for policy & procedure abuse. On a routine basis unfair discipline rained down on heads of YSOs as if it were ordained by heaven. Now the elite (untouchable management types) are being investigated for various infractions and a wave of terror is meandering through the CJTS plantation: rumors indicate some management types are singing like the Temptations (ready to tell about corruption now that their rear end is in a sling) and cut a deal to keep their jobs. Let me say the administrative rats are jumping ship. Believe me folks altruisim is not a reason for the elite threatening to come forth with details of injustices; if the management rats had a sense of doing what is right, they would have exposed corruption years ago. However, there was always a silent code not to talk about anything because only YSOs caught disciplinary hell. Where were voices of management when a white YSO slapped a resident of color and no one filed assault charges? Why did management rats allow a Unit Leader in building # 4 to take sick days off that were not accrued and turn a blind eye when a Unit leader in building # 5 came to work hung over from drinking? Now rats seek to jump ship or tell about wrong doing. Hell, will they tell about the giving out of overtime by some of their friends to favorite YSOs? It was a well known secret that abuse of overtime happened, yet no voice of indignation from management rats-who now want to jump ship.

SCOUNDRELS,SCALAWAGS AND SUCKERS

In times of desperation [ among people] suddenly there appear scoundrels,scalawags, and suckers. These are desperate times to be sure at the Department of Children and Families plus Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown. A community coalition recently sent DCF a Freedom of Information request; seeking to find patterns of bias against employees of color. While CJTS went all out celebrating Black History Month with residents of color, non-white employees are going to Human Resources lodging complaints against a white Youth Services Officer. Scroundels in the form of DCF/CJTS management are using talk of over hauling their policies as a smoke screen to punish employees who  voice any opposition to injustices. Certain activists-such as the DCF Plantation 5- who launched a class action lawsuit three years ago are being targeted by management, with intense scrutiny and threats of job loss. Then there are Scalawags [employees]  on the DCF Plantation going to management with data of interest on how the employees are acting or talking. In this segment of my story it is necessary to point out a historical truth-no oppressor can carry out a plan of conquest without without inside help [ scalawags]. While at CJTS we find the following: (1) i'm just here to do my job and see nothing going on, (2) just leave me alone and give me overtime, (3) management will give me a title in exchange for betrayal of fellow employees. Finally there loom the suckers (non thinkers and self absorbed) who have no clue as to what is going on around them. When management promotes a theory of obfuscation those suckers embrace it. When all is said and done scroundels,scalawags and suckers reign supreme.

BACKLASH ON THE PLANTATION REACHES ELITE

Several people contacted the DCF Plantation about certain disciplinary measures taking place at Connecticut  Juvenile Training School. In their attempts to clean up allegations of bias,racism and nepotism CJTS administrators increased scrutiny and discipline of Youth Services Officers. This came as no surprise,hell, in my 5 years of employment at CJTS YSOs always got kicked in the arse first in terms of discipline. All of this cleaning house at CJTS came about due to public scrutiny by activists or complaints about a white hegemony in DCF leadership that treated employees of color unfairly-disciplinary actions. At first the usual suspects [YSOs] were herded and disciplined as usual. Then a shift occurred in the method/ maddness of CJTS administrators targeting practices. In the last few weeks discplinary actions have reached the elite i.e. favored people in management have been scrutinized, investigated, and walked off the property for infractions. Hold the damn press. In years of observation I can say the elite have always gotten away with all manner of violations from (1. bringing cell phones on property, (2. to taking days off when they had none to use [checkout a Unit Leader in building #4 who abused this], (3. using their positions of power to badger YSOs.
However as singer Sam Cooke once said "a change gone come, oh yes it will." The change is now here at CJTS in a curious manner ; make no mistake about it CJTS management has not all of a sudden "done gon' and got religion"- their motive for finally taking a stand against the elite is based on public pressure. If indeed CJTS management had a pure heart they would not have let that Unit Leader in building # 4 call out from work everytime there was a snow storm [ Unit Leader does not drive in inclement weather], or what about a manager taking sick time to go gamble at Mohegan Sun Casinos. It will be interesting to watch the feeding frenzy at CJTS continue as managers now feel the wrath of discipline; guess now YSOs are not the only group singled out huh?