subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Published: November 23, 2008 06:04 pm    print this story  

NIAGARA FALLS: Working toward equality

Steps being taken to address racial concerns

By Rick Forgione
E-mail Rick

Niagara Gazette

Bill Bradberry knows there’s a lot of “lemons” when it comes to race issues in Niagara Falls.

But as the optimistic saying goes, he’s hoping to turn lemons into lemonade.

“What we’re facing is not unique to Niagara Falls,” he said. “I’m sure other communities are dealing with these types of issues. The question is, what are we as a community going to do to address them?”

As the new head of the city’s Human Rights Commission, Bradberry is among those in charge of finding the answer. But after decades of racial tension fueled by a low percentage of minorities in city management positions and a recent posting of a discriminative sign, even he has doubts change is possible.

“When you have a city with 550 employees, but only 100 are minority and mostly working in lower level positions and when you have a police department with 150 officers, but maybe three are African American, how do you get it done?” Bradberry said. “We have some serious challenges, but we also have some awesome opportunities to make a difference.”

Among those challenges is repairing the city’s image after being cast into the national media spotlight back in August when longtime Department of Works employee James R. Curtis posted a handwritten “whites only” sign above a work water fountain. Curtis, who has since admitted the sign was meant to be a joke, was initially charged with a hate crime, but has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated harassment. He is currently suspended from his job and could be terminated.

A group of six black workers suing the city for racial discrimination amended their lawsuit to include the sign incident, claiming it’s further evidence of bias toward minority workers within the Department of Public Works. The group, known as the Niagara Falls Six, first filed the lawsuit in 2003 claming they had been subjected to a pattern of discrimination because of their race. It has since been amended twice to include more alleged examples of discrimination and mistreatment.

City officials and attorneys will not comment on any pending litigation or Curtis’ personnel matter, but Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster insists steps are being taken to avoid similar issues in the future. Regarding the low percentage of minority workers among the city’s workforce, the mayor said efforts are being made to recruit a more diverse pool of job applicants through job fairs, outreach to community organizations and offering prep classes prior to civil service exams.

“It’s not going to change overnight, but we are making a strong effort,” Dyster said.

He added seasonal employee positions allow the city to get a diverse group of workers into the system so department heads and supervisors can access their credentials and determine who’s worthy of filling full-time jobs.

However, members of the Niagara Falls Six believe stronger recruitment efforts are needed if the city is ever going to establish a balanced workforce and ease racial tensions.

“If you want people to come out, put more advertisements out there letting minorities know that the city is hiring,” said Emmett Cox, a member of the Falls Six and a DPW employee of 23 years. “There’s seniors ready to graduate from high school and college that the city should reach out to now. We need a big change in this city or there’s going to be the same problems. We don’t have enough minority workers out there to make a difference.”

The lack of diversity on the city’s payroll is only one example of racial problems in Niagara Falls, according to members of the Human Rights Commission. Rick Williams, who is stepping down as chairman after five years, invited representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI to the commission’s meeting last week. He’s hoping the contacts will be instrumental in helping the city combat discrimination.

Attending the hour-long informal session were Assistant U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. and FBI Special Agents Robert J. Gross and Jennifer Amo, both of whom work out of the Niagara Falls office.

“We’re here to hear your concerns,” Kennedy told the commission. “If you guys see something wrong, we’ll look into it.”

Among the issues discussed at the meeting were examples of possible discrimination in housing matters, hired contractors for city projects and unfair treatment of minorities by police officers.

“There’s a segment in this community who feel they’re harassed by the Niagara Falls Police Department,” Williams said.

Kennedy pointed out discrimination cases against public safety departments are intensive and require documented proof against specific individuals from a variety of victims in the community. However, it can be done, he added.

“That’s one we can definitely have future discussions on,” Kennedy said.

Bradberry questioned how much impact the FBI and Department of Justice can have on the city’s racial problems, since he believes most of the issues originate out ignorance and not criminal intent.

“We’re finding the city is failing to comply with the rules and regulations of minority hiring but maybe that’s because there’s just some cultural indifference that doesn’t have evil intentions,” he said.

In his 2009 budget, Dyster is proposing a new part-time equal employment opportunity compliance officer. Bradberry said that’s a good start but more money, between $250,000 and $500,000, needs to be allocated for a comprehensive study in hopes of identifying all of the city’s diversity issues.

“Once we understand what the barriers are, we need to mow them down,” said Bradberry, who served as the city’s first equal employment opportunity coordinator back in the 1970s.

During his tenure as commission chairman, Williams has lobbied for the creation of an entire human rights division that would be better equipped to address issues. Bradberry cautioned such a system would need to remain independent from the city so politics don’t come into play. However, he agreed the commission needs to have more power to investigate cases of possible discrimination, including the ability to subpoena witnesses for interviews.

Bradberry also said the commission needs to continue working closely with similar agencies such as the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“It’s time to get to work and get busy,” Bradberry said.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Featured Jobs

Physical, Occupational & Speech Language Therapist
Physical, Occupational
& Speech Language Therapist
Fee for service positions providing community based early
...>MORE

PHONE SALES
Phone sales, high profile fundraisers, great pay, exp. a plus, nice NT office, FT/PT, hrly. plus, Pete or Mike, 694-12...>MORE

Nurse
NURSE. Niagara County Community College is seeking a part-time college nurse for the college’s health services. Please s...>MORE

Cashiers
CASHIERS 
Looking for dependable people with great customer service skills to work in APlus Convenience store in Le
...>MORE

Government Affairs Manager
Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce is seeking a Manager of Government Affairs. Qualified applicants will be required to hav...>MORE

TOOL GRINDER & WIRE EDM OPERATOR
Tool Grinder-exp. w/contours & blades,Wire EDM Operator-5 yrs exp., 3rd shift. Pivot Punch Corp., resumes: jobs@pivotpu...>MORE

Administrative Assistant
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT for human services agency. Resume to: ILNC, 746 Portage Rd., Niagara Falls, NY 14301. EOE...>MORE

General Laborer
GENERAL LABORER to do yard work, pick papers etc. Competitive wages, 401k and medical. Apply Allied Waste Scale House, 5...>MORE

Assistant Director
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
 Ass
...>MORE

RN Supervisor
RN SUPERVISORS/LPN Charge Nurse/CNA’s
Full and Part Time
Positions available.
Apply in person
Fa
...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI
Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI, 4 door, one owner, exc. condition, power windows, power steering, power locks, $5000 or best ...>MORE

Ford 1999 Escort ZX2
FORD 1999 ESCORT, ZX2 Coupe, runs great, NYS inspected, exc. cond. $1650. 694-0441...>MORE

Pontiac 2000 Grand Prix XL
PONTIAC 2000 Grand Prix XL, black,
good condition
531-2669
...>MORE

1986 Ford Mustang
FORD 1986 Mustang convertible, 5.0 body kit, 3.8L V6, 40k on new motor, runs but needs work. $700 or BO. 417-1611...>MORE

Dodge 2001 Neon
DODGE 2001Neon, 4 dr, 4 cyl, auto, 58k mi. am/fm CD player, n o rust, like new, $3950. 525-7796...>MORE

1998 Dodge Dakota Sport
DODGE 1998 Dakota Sport 3.9 V6, regular cab, exc in & out, no rust, real sharp, $2750. 523-7102...>MORE

Ford 1997 TAURUS
FORD 1997 taurus, runs exc. fully loaded, must see $1400 or best offer. 205-7711...>MORE

1999 Chevy Malibu
CHEVY 1999 Malibu, needs fuel pump, $700. 282-6141 or 990-6026....>MORE

1991 Lincoln Executive Town Car
LINCOLN 1991 Executive Town Car, 42k miles, no rust, runs, needs work, $600. 990-8895....>MORE

1993 Chevy Silverado
CHEVY Silverado 4x4 1993 new alt, starter, exhaust, rebuilt trans., etc. Reliable. Call 282-0465....>MORE

See all ads



 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index