CLASS COMMENTS ON THE LAWSUIT
PLAINTIFFS CHRIS STUART, DONNELL RUSSELL, AND ERIC BAILEY COMMENT ON THE LAWSUIT.
Plaintiff Chris Stuart
Plaintiff Donnell Russell
Plaintiff Eric Bailey
Chris Stuart: “My name is Chris and I am 31 years old. I work in the Technology & Innovation department. I am the only Black person in my division. This is problematic and the opposite of racial equity. Worse yet, leadership is overtly racist and it is troubling to work in an environment like this. Nobody should have to work in these conditions where your basic humanity is questioned. We want the pay and promotion policies to change. We want transparency and equity. We thank all the employees and community leaders who are supporting our efforts for lasting change.”
Donnell Russell: “Today, we are here to send a very clear message to the City of Long Beach-it is not okay to continue to subject black employees to unfair and oppressive working conditions. The City and its leadership continue to show a reckless disregard for our humanity by subjecting us to less than BASIC professional standards of business practices: inclusiveness, fairness, equity and supportive leadership. The City has also failed in providing oversight to supervisors and managers who continue to impact our daily work lives negatively. This lawsuit is a collective effort to address the systemic racism in the City. The City MUST be held accountable for allowing mistreatment of Black employees-for far too long. Today, City Leaders, our message is simple…It IS Not OKAY!”
Eric Bailey: “My name is Eric and I recently retired in February after 35+ years. I supervised Street Sweepers, but the City didn’t want to pay me as a Street Sweeping Supervisor, so they paid me less as a Refuse Supervisor. My non-Black predecessor had the proper title and pay. And another one of my non-Black peers was promoted before me on two occasions. Street sweeping employees are 50% Black, but only 1 out of 7 members of the management team is Black. This is wrong and has to stop.”
SOLIDARITY AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Members of the Black Employees Alliance are saddened to hear that the Black employees of Long Beach are experiencing anti-Black racism similarly to the experiences of Black employees at the City and County of San Francisco. We want to affirm your efforts and make it clear that you have our full support in taking actions to resolve these matters. We stand by you! In solidarity for empowerment, liberation, and justice!
-City and County of San Francisco Black Employees Alliance