Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Racial Discrimination at Springfield City Hall
Posted on Tuesday, August 7 2007 by Heather Brandon
Late tonight, two regional television stations have posted their reports online about the class action lawsuit filed against Springfield City Hall earlier today on behalf of eight city employees.
In speaking to a 22News reporter, Springfield-based attorney Devin Moriarty described plaintiffs on the job being instructed not to speak Spanish in the office, whether casually amongst others, or more formally, for the purposes of translating for city residents in person. They have apparently told of being put in the awkward position of having to ask a superior if they may, indeed, translate.
Moriarty said that his clients claim that some of the city’s policies and higher-up decision-makers are prejudiced, and it has impaired their ability to advance in their jobs, both subtly and overtly.
The plaintiffs are:
Thomas Belton (Personnel)
Luis Colon (Community Development)
Ivette Cruz (Housing and Neighborhood Services Community Development)
Joselyn DeJesus (Housing and Neighborhood Services)
Jacqueline Ford (Treasurer’s Office)
Juan Martinez (Code Enforcement)
Andrea Stone (Law Department)
Gail Walls (Personnel)
Maybe the city will be looking at a settlement on this. Where will the cash come from—canceling the November election?
As Michaelann Bewsee points out in her blog, plaintiff Thomas Belton appears to be the same person Mayor Charles Ryan cited on Monday as the leader for an anticipated sensitivity training for those city employees under the executive authority of the mayor’s office (police, fire fighters, and DPW). Other employees, the Republican reported, whose positions were established by state statute, do not fall under the authority of the mayor’s office for such a policy to be implemented (i.e. the School Department, the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, the Springfield Parking Authority, Housing and Neighborhood Services, and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority).
Heather Brandon http://urbancompass.net
August 8th, 2007 at 9:11 amReporter Suzanne McLaughlin has an article in today’s Republican about this as well.
tommy http://www.tommydevine.blogspot.com
August 8th, 2007 at 12:26 pmGail Walls served under Joe Dougherty, the Frank Keough servant who really controlled the office and ran it as a corrupt patronage machine. If she served under him for all those years, how clean can she be? I suspect she should have been fired years ago.
Urban Compass | Blog Archive | Campaign 2007: Springfield City Council Candidate John Lysak http://urbancompass.net/?p=540
August 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pm[...] is your reaction to the racial bias class action lawsuit recently brought against the city by eight municipal employees? It is a very serious accusation. It must be [...]
Urban Compass | Blog Archive | Campaign 2007: Springfield City Council Candidate Karen Powell http://urbancompass.net/?p=551
August 28th, 2007 at 11:42 am[...] is your reaction to the racial bias class action lawsuit recently brought against the city by eight municipal employees? Since I know the mayor very well on a personal [...]
Urban Compass | Blog Archive | Campaign 2007: Springfield City Council Candidate Pat Markey http://urbancompass.net/?p=731
October 19th, 2007 at 10:27 am[...] of the Springfield Law Department. What is your reaction to the racial bias class action lawsuit recently brought against the city by eight municipal employees? I know a few of the individuals who brought that [...]