Employees find noose hanging at work

CNN ^ | 01-05-07 | Allan Chernoff

[mfnorman]

NEW YORK (CNN) -- James Jackson, a 26-year-old black employee of 180 Connect, was preparing for another day of installing cable, telephone and Internet service to residential customers of Cablevision in Nassau County, New York on December 7.

When he walked to the fenced-off area to pick up equipment for the day's jobs he looked up and was shocked to see a vicious, racist symbol in his workplace. A noose was hanging in the fenced-off equipment area, visible to the dozens of installers, the majority of whom are black, but accessible only to his boss and an equipment manager, both of whom are white.

Jackson, a former messenger who had worked at 180 Connect for a year and a half, immediately confronted the equipment manager, Dave Willie.

"I asked Dave," Jackson told CNN, " 'What is that hanging up there?' and he said, 'That is a noose' and I said, 'I know it's a noose, but why is it up there?' And he walked away."

[snodog]

I know it is a lie and I will prove it.

"He said, 'Yo, I like that, it's cool, I am gonna hang Russell up there. Think we can get James up there?' "

Is this manager Tony Saprano, I don't think we would get a Yo' from a manager, unless he was just trying to be down with his workers. Why would he target Bill Russell, and Lebron James?

Houston recalls Murdock saying. "I looked at him like, 'You serious.' "

Looking at someone with a facial expression is not a comment. "I looked at her with willing eyes". Could and most likely would be interpeted as, "that crazy eyed bastard was back in here." At least that has been my experience with facial expressions.

And finally, 'You serious'. 'You serious', is not a comment. Alone it is nothing. Black men that speak (opposed to those that don't have the power of speach, you know what I am talking about),know it must be enjoined with "IS", as "is you serious" to actually have meaning. Sometimes it can be replaced with the more white, "are". As in, "Are you serious".

Just doin my part for the party.

Hail George!

[loboinok]

ROTFLMBO!

Thanks for the gutbuster minor49er!

[Lokibob]

unbelieveable!!! Do you really think this way.

If the manager worked for me, he would have been out so fast, his shadow would miss the ride.

WE, as Americans can not have this kind of racism in this country, and as FReepers, I find it disgusting.

[Howlin]

Precisely.

[packrat35]

The last hanging I can remember was Saddam and he wasn't black. Too many people reading things into something they are not. Blacks were NOT the only people ever lynched.

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

It is difficult to go through life constantly being "offended" by someone or something. I'm of Scandanavian heritage and I find jokes about Swedish people to be very hilarious in a self-deprecating sort of way. I just hang loose, go with the flow, and enjoy occasionally laughing at myself. It's better for your heart and will help you to live longer.

~ Blue Jays ~

[chit*chat]

The company is aware that a noose could have racial connotations and could be a very negative symbol to African-American people.

That's right - just ask Saddam.

[chit*chat]

What, it's a postive symbol to everyone else?

Not to cattle rustlers or horse thieves, or anyone else on the business end.

[snodog]

If we were in Israel, and somebody hung a swastika in your workplace, the entire country would be up in arms.

You didn't just go anti-semite did you?

Justify that is what I say, If it wasn't for the jews there wouldn't have been a WWII. If they hadn't needed saving there wouldn't have been any saving to be done. Damn jews making us rise up like that.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

Isn't there one in the middle of the Confederate flag? And didn't General R. E. Lee design the flag personally and meant it to be racist, even though he opposed slavery?

[snodog]

I'm still trying to figure out why I went bonkers and tears came to my eyes. SNOOPY IS NOT REAL!!

It is clear that you are trying to release your oppresive past. Snoopy, if you hadn't noticed has a little black in him. Not only the spots, but how he dances, he, to quote Scott Van Pelt of ESPN, "that's levitation homes". I don't get it either, they never show levitating houses, it has to do with, thier blackness I think.

Stay cool, call me over the summer.

[pandoraou812]

Why should a noose be up there in the 1st place is my question. I personally would be offended if I were Muslim or black. I guess I don't have a sense of humor anymore. I can well understand those people being offended. I think whoever put it there needs to be fired if they can prove who did it. As for a lawsuit since nobody got hung there shouldn't be one. It was in bad taste in my opinion and not the smartest thing to do for a manager or whoever did it. Personally I don't care for Muslims but how would that manager like it if one came to work with a big sword like they use to behead people? He would be fired and jailed. We all need to get along and causing problems at a work place is plain stupid.

[jonrick46]

The minute the equipment manager, Dave Willie, realized that the noose had offensive connotations, he should have offered an apology and immediately taken it down. He should have told the offended employee(s) that such would never happen again. Such was unprofessional conduct in the work place. He is hired to perform a job for 180 Conect, not engage in harassment of his fellow employees. Such also suggests a lax work environment and, if that is the case, it makes a bad statement about 180 Conect to all who go to that warehouse.

This tells me that 180 Conect has a lax human resources department. It needs to start training its employees about what constitutes job harassment.

[Jaysun]

Why should a noose be up there in the 1st place is my question. I personally would be offended if I were Muslim or black. I guess I don't have a sense of humor anymore. I can well understand those people being offended. I think whoever put it there needs to be fired if they can prove who did it. As for a lawsuit since nobody got hung there shouldn't be one. It was in bad taste in my opinion and not the smartest thing to do for a manager or whoever did it. Personally I don't care for Muslims but how would that manager like it if one came to work with a big sword like they use to behead people? He would be fired and jailed. We all need to get along and causing problems at a work place is plain stupid.

Why is a good question. A few years ago we had a big "noose controversy" in our city. A guy running for city council vowed to get rid of the parking meters downtown and had a billboard (or something) depicting a parking meter being hung. The NAACP went insane and he dropped out of the race. In that case I think the NAACP was being petty and absurd.

[Cobra64]

yikes...too many cuddas

Here's one:

[pandoraou812]

That was silly. Not the same thing at all.... I think if I was black and saw a noose hanging at my work place I would be a bit upset. I live in NJ and some of the blacks here would not have been amused. They would have beat that manager up or called their Bloods or Crips brothers to do it. We are having quite a problem with drive by shootings in the towns close to me.

[Mac1]

good one

[rfp1234]

What is the plural of noose? Neese?

[snodog]

unbelieveable!!! Do you really think this way.

If the manager worked for me, he would have been out so fast, his shadow would miss the ride.

WE, as Americans can not have this kind of racism in this country, and as FReepers, I find it disgusting.

Absolutely, when racism is thrown around for racisms sake as news I make fun of it. And that is what this is.

What is racist about a noose? When I think about a noose I think cowboy's and the wild west. I don't think poor black men in the south.

To me a, native sun of the west it represents the law, and our desire to control the outlaws that wanted to take advantage of our peaceful ways. Racism has nothing to do with it. I would call for a hanging just as quick regardless of race if they committed the same crime.

Lynching, now that evokes evil im my mind. Punishment without the rule of law. That is evil and racist when committed because of someones race.

[FreedomOfExpression]

If you have a high school 9th grade education, raised in the north or the south, you understand VERY well what a noose means to the blacks. You learned it, like I did, on the playground.

I meet those criteria, but associate a noose with cowboy movies, and very recently, Saddam. I think it may be a generational thing. The playground at your school(s) must have really been something!