The Other McCain

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Did Obama’s Election Cause Outbreak of Racist Grafitti in Philadelphia?

Posted on | December 19, 2010 | 4 Comments

That’s what is claimed by an attorney representing plaintiffs in a civil-rights lawsuit:

Several black men who were contracted to work at the Sunoco refinery in Philadelphia were forced to clean up racial slurs written about them on bathroom walls, the men claim in a federal civil rights lawsuit. . . .
The six plaintiffs, led by Kenneth Hall, 40, of Philadelphia, were all employees of Advanced Speciality Contractors, of Aston, which was contracted to work on a project at the Sunoco refinery on Passyunk Avenue near 61st Street in Southwest Philadelphia, the suit said.
White employees of other companies subcontracted for the project . . . harassed the men because of their race, the suit says. . . .
Along with the nooses, the suit claims racial slurs were written daily on bathroom and port-a-potty walls including “whites only, no n – – – – – – allowed” and “all n – – – – – – should go back into slavery.”
The plaintiffs, who performed various jobs around the refinery including janitorial work and general labor, were forced to clean and paint over the slurs, according to their attorney, Kevin Lovitz.
“You are being made to clean up what is the most heinous racial conduct you could imagine – against yourself!” Lovitz said. “And they couldn’t stop it.”
He said the harassment mostly occurred in 2008 and 2009 and coincided with President Obama’s campaign and election, which he said provoked negativity among the refinery’s white workers.
“That is the backdrop of why these things may have been so focused at the time,” he said. “There was a lot of negativity with regard to the election on a racial level.”

Read the whole thing. Thanks to Mike for the e-mail tip.

Category: Barack Obama, Pennsylvania, Racism

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