6 Workers Sue Kansas City Contractors Over Racism

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Not that we wanted extra proof that the Proud Boys is a white nationalist group stuffed with racist yokels who drape bigotry in pseudo-patriotism, however an alleged member of the group can also be a foreman of the Kansas Metropolis Streetcar extension mission, of Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, which is being sued by six Black and Hispanic staff, who say they’ve been subjected to a “tradition of race-based hostility and discrimination” on the mission’s job websites

In keeping with the Kansas Metropolis Star, the plaintiffs within the discrimination lawsuit — which was initially filed in Jackson County Circuit Court docket earlier than being moved to U.S. District Court docket in Kansas Metropolis final month — are Javier Buendia, Jonas Buendia, Oliver Curry, Carl Hunt, Joseph Martin, and Charles Watkins. The six males named a laundry listing of people and company contractors as defendants.

From the Star:

The lawsuit names contractors on the mission, the Herzog Contracting Company and the agency Stacey and Witbeck, and their three way partnership KC Streetcar Constructors, in addition to two native unions, the Worldwide Union of Working Engineers Native No. 101 and the Heavy Building Laborers Native No. 663, as defendants. Additionally named as defendants are three particular person staff, Bryce Shields, Josh Ayres and Chris Greenwood.

“Plaintiffs labored and felt on the mercy of the terroristic whims of whomever selected to focus on them with race-based discrimination, harassment, or hostility in addition to sexual harassment,” attorneys wrote.

The lawsuit faults the businesses and the unions for not correcting the issues on the job websites and never intervening on behalf of the lads and is searching for damages over the incidents.

The swimsuit claims the six staff confronted “month-to-month and typically weekly and each day” situations of getting to endure racial slurs and different racist statements from white co-workers and foremen, at the very least one in all whom, attorneys say, was found to be a member of the aforementioned group of far-right extremists who have been doing all of the far-right extremist issues when President Donald Trump famously instructed them to “stand again and stand by” throughout his first time period. It’s unclear which particular person defendant named within the swimsuit is alleged to be a Proud Boy.

Anyway, examples of the racist incidents the workers say they confronted embody one from 2023, when a foreman, who plaintiffs say recurrently referred to Black individuals as “monkeys,” allegedly remarked, “These monkeys I’ve on my crew ‘bout to drive me loopy.”

Curry, who’s Black, claims that in June of final yr, a white worker threatened him with a strap that was on a trailer, saying he would “discover a tree to place it in,” earlier than Curry pointedly, which he interpreted as a lynching reference.

Curry was additionally recognized within the swimsuit as the worker who found that one in all his bosses is a Proud Boys member, and he claims that the foreman witnessed an incident through which an worker known as Curry the N-word repeatedly, and he did nothing about it. Curry says he needed to complain to a superintendent for the racist worker to be fired, however the foreman’s inaction was by no means addressed.

And whereas that superintendent did reportedly hearth the slur-slinging co-worker, they’re additionally accused of creating racist and violent remarks, particularly, in 2023, after they allegedly mentioned Black males ought to “find yourself in a noose.”

Along with the racial slurs and lynching threats, the Black staff say they have been being accused of thefts they didn’t commit and threatened with extra racial violence by white staff who insisted they have been responsible. A few of these white staff are additionally accused of creating good on these threats

Extra from the Star:

In one other incident, a supervisor allegedly accused a number of Black staff of being accountable for break-ins on job websites with out proof. In others, the identical supervisor allegedly made a racially offensive comment, accusing Watkins, who’s Black, of stealing a watermelon he delivered to a worksite, and made an unfounded accusation that he wasn’t working.

In an episode in 2023, a gaggle of white staff allegedly assaulted a Black man who they caught making an attempt to interrupt right into a website, the lawsuit mentioned. Two of the lads tied the person up, held him to the bottom, coated his mouth with duct tape, punched and kicked him and pushed their boot-clad toes into his genitals, the lawsuit mentioned.

“Again the place I’m from we lynch individuals such as you,” one of many males mentioned a number of occasions, in keeping with the lawsuit. One other worker supplied to get his truck in an obvious supply to pull the person

The allegations of racism and normal depravity go on and on, and there appears to be an air of reality to it, as a result of, in November 2023, administration for the mission reportedly held a gathering to deal with the problems of harassment, name-calling, and different complaints, in addition to introduce disciplinary coverage modifications. Nevertheless, nobody who was already accused of such exercise was disciplined on the time, in keeping with attorneys, who’ve accused administration of overlaying up the habits as a substitute.

“The change in coverage and the related expungement of the workers’ data signifies an try and clear the report of any proof of racial or sexual harassment on the development websites,” attorneys wrote within the swimsuit. “The tried cover-up of complaints and disciplinary historical past is proof that Constructors knew of the complaints and the hostile work setting and selected to not handle it.”

Any Black one who has labored in a predominantly white office is aware of navigating racial microaggressions, harassment, and flat-out bigotry can really feel like a second job all by itself. It’s additionally an uphill battle to get anybody who can do something about it to imagine it’s even occurring.

Good luck to the plaintiffs on this case. We all know the wrestle is actual.