Racist Double Standards

                                          SOS Rally 2015 City Hall, Courtesy Panama Fotos

Double Standards Means Racism

On April 1, 2016 a City boss, Michael E. Traynor, got out of his car at City Hall and berated a Black man who was letting his family off on Front St. Mr. Traynor  admits saying to the motorist “fucking asshole”. Mr. Traynor denies he said “fucking asshole nigger”.

Of course the Black motorist complained to the City Manager’s Office and to Dr. Carter, the recently hired Chief Diversity Officer.  There was an investigation conducted. We soon found out that Dr. Carter has no authority or power on racist incidents of which City employees are accused. We also found out Worcester Human Rights Commission also has no authority to investigate complaints against the City.

It is not clear who conducted the investigation i to the alleged racist and vulgar slurs said by Mr. Traynor. During the investigation Mr. Traynor admitted saying “fucking asshole”, but he denied saying    “nigger”.

The City has not made a copy of the investigation public. It only released a sort of summary to the victim motorist.

This whole process is a racist double standard. Most double standards are indication of some sort discrimination. In this case it indicates the racism still rampant in City Hall. Please recall the malicious prosecution by the City Manager of the BlackLives Matter protestors, when the police at the scene said there was no criminal activity. The judge in the case also dismissed all criminal complaints and made the matter a civil case.

Also consider that the City released to the public private personnel information about the Black workers at Mosaic.

The investigative report is not a part of a personnel file and even if it was the City has released the personnel data of non-City Black workers at Mosaic. The investigative report is a public document, given the public records laws of Massachusetts, should be made public.

Mr. Traynor has admitted his unprofessional actions by confessing to a road rage incident that included vulgarity. This unprofessional behavior in itself is sufficient for termination.  Although he has denied the racial slurs, there is a perception that he is a racist and should not be any longer in what should be the safe from racism space of a public City building.

To a large extent City Councillor Michael T. Gaffney shares responsibility for racism at City Hall. He has disparately and adversely attacked BlackLives Matter supporters and Black organizations. He has done this in a racist manner. He has never asked for an audit of the Worcester Police Summer Program which has rumored to be full of illicit financial activities.

On May 17, 2016 a coalition of activists and concerned people, including Mass. Human Rights Committee and the Progressive Labor Party will hold a protest rally in front of City Hall Worcester at 6 PM. At 7 PM the group will take their demands to City Council. The demands include releasing the Traynor investigative report, appropriate discipline for Mr. Traynor, and the City Council adopting a policy of releasing investigative reports to the public for cases involving alleged racism by City employees.