Posted by Editor on October 11, 2007 8:35 AM to Career News and Resources
Career News and Resources: Racial Slurs Common at Work Sites
By Larry Miller
Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune
[Editor's note: This article is not for use by member newspapers competing in the same market in which it was written. NNPA will deny access to News Service content to publications that ignore this prohibition. Additionally, the NNPA credit must be used on any articles downloaded. Again, NNPA will deny access to News Service content if editors continue to delete NNPA credit lines.]
PHILADELPHIA (NNPA) - Black tradesmen allege that racism is common among the city's building and trades unions and that official statements calling a recent racially-charged incident at the Comcast Tower construction site a bad joke is an attempt to sweep the incident under the rug.
The incident, which took place Oct. 1, involved an African-American hoist operator who claimed that a White co-worker, whose name is being withheld by The Tribune, allegedly dangled a noose at him threateningly.
"Absolutely, I know it is. I know that's what they're doing. This happens all the time at construction sites," said Anthony Fullard, executive vice president of Millennium 3 Management.
Fullard, who was an ironworker for 15 years and who ran his own construction firm, KKAJ Incorporated said he often had racial confrontations.
"You often see racial slurs, usually in the port-a-potties. This is the normal practice and Blacks in the building trades go through this all the time," Fullard said. "I even saw it at sites where my company was working a job. I mean this was coming from people I was paying."
The incident took place when an African-American hoist operator, Peter Solomon, engaged in a verbal confrontation with a White construction worker who allegedly dangled a noose in his direction.
An investigation by law enforcement authorities from the Philadelphia Police Department's Special Victim's Unit told a different story; that the White co-worker was making a joke that the noose was "a new necklace" for his wife.
Solomon said there's no doubt in his mind that it was a racial insult.
"Initially, he said he wanted to hang someone. The wife statement came later and I think it was just an attempt to water it down." Solomon said. "He was looking right at me when he said he wanted to hang someone."
"The statement about his wife came when we were in the elevator. He said he was only playing around but I said, 'Man, you don't play like that.' They're trying to sugar coat this. I know what he said to me and I did not laugh or joke about it. He shook that noose in my face. I think law enforcement is taking this guy's position over mine, but I know what happened. All I can do is report it to the proper authorities."
According to the Philadelphia Police Departments' Conflict Prevention and Resolution Unit, Solomon and the White co-worker were interviewed along with three witnesses. They determined that the incident was one where a bad joke was perceived to be a racial slur.
"The white male said that he did have a rope and tied it into a noose and said to one of the passengers, 'Look, I've got a new necklace for my wife.' The Black hoist operator responded by saying, 'This isn't right,' and a verbal confrontation did take place," said Sgt. Ray Evers from Public Affairs. "But he denied making any racial remarks and three witnesses verified the white subject's account. One of the witnesses is a 26-year-old Black male who said he's worked with the man for several years and he's never made any racial remarks."
Solomon alleges the Black witness, who is an apprentice ironworker, said what he was told to say.
"He's an apprentice. If he didn't do what he was told to, he knows he won't work any more," Solomon said. "I've been on the site for four months and you know how I got the job? Another White construction worker was caught on camera hanging a noose. He was fired. There's on-going hatred towards people of color by some of the white workers at this site. I've never experienced anything like it."
Another worker at the Comcast construction site who spoke with The Tribune only on the condition that his identity would not be revealed, said racial slurs are evident on construction sites throughout the Philadelphia area.
"It's usually in the bathrooms, but you see it on almost every construction site and I've been in the industry for more than 20 years," the source said. "There's a definite racist climate. The guy who had the hoist operator's job before Solomon was fired because he hung a noose on the elevator. Some younger Blacks and whites might not know what the noose means but it's a symbol of hate."
Kevin Lumpkin, a private construction contractor who owns Umoja Erectors LLC, also said the Oct. 1 incident at the Comcast site was not the first time. He also said that the racial slurs and intimidation continues because African American workers won't speak up.
"This is not the first time. African- American workers are afraid to speak up about it though. They're afraid for their jobs and the backlash that will follow if they do," Lumpkin said. "These things happen every so often and it's a problem with all the trades because Blacks won't stick together. It's an issue we face everyday in this industry. One day something foolish will happen with the wrong Black man and it will escalate into something physical."
The Comcast Tower construction project, located at 17th and John F. Kennedy Blvd. is being managed by L.F. Driscoll Company, the largest construction management firm in Philadelphia.
Comcast officials said any public relations regarding the incident were being handled by Liberty Property Trust and L.F. Driscoll Company. Driscoll's director of marketing, Al Fazzini only said that the matter was under investigation.
"On Oct. 1, 2007, an incident between two trades workers on the Comcast Tower project was reported. The proper authorities were contacted and are investigating the matter," said Fazzini is a prepared statement. "The worker in question was promptly removed from the site. Because this matter is under investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time."
The accusations at the Comcast site follows on the heels of a national protest last week in Jena, La., the town where six Black youths were arrested for allegedly assaulting a white classmate. That assault followed a series of racial confrontations that started when nooses were hung underneath a tree where white students traditionally congregated at Jena High School.
John Gattuso, Senior Vice President for Urban and National Development for Liberty Property Trust, confirmed that he knew about the incident and the explanations provided by police officials. But he also said that regardless as to whether or not it was a joke, even the perception of racism would not be tolerated at any of their job sites.
"The individual involved was taken from the job site immediately," Gattuso said. "There's no room for this and it won't be tolerated. We want to create an environment that attracts a certain caliber of people and whether or not it was a joke or perceived a certain way, it still is something we won't stand for and is totally unacceptable."
Bruce Crawley, former chairman of the African-American Chamber of Commerce and president and principal owner of Millennium 3 Management, Inc. said racism in any form is never a joke.
"Whoever said this was a joke was completely mistaken," Crawley said. "When you look at the history of racism in this country, this is not a joke and you can't rationalize it. Liberty Property and Driscoll were concerned when the authorities were called in but racism is not and never was a joke. It should be dealt with as the insult it was intended to be."
The incident in Philadelphia is not the only one where nooses were reported at construction sites. A worker at a site in O'Hara Township, Pa. found a noose at a construction site on the morning of Oct. 4.
Errol Madyun told officials he found the noose on the second floor of the site in his work area and immediately reported it. This is the third incident in the Pittsburgh region this week.
"The Zambrano Corp. deplores these actions of offensive conduct. The company has taken immediate measures to stop further incidents of this nature," said Keith Smith, vice president of operations at Zambrano Corporation in a published report. Zambrano turned the incident over to the O'Hara Township police and the FBI.
"Racism has always been a problem at the city's construction sites and there has always been a dearth of Blacks in the trades," Crawley said. "It's been a long challenge to get qualified Blacks in and once they do get in, they get treated like second class citizens and that is outrageous. Hopefully, this will change with the next mayoral administration."
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