February 14, 2009

African American Wins Lynching Lawsuit


Do y'all remember when there were so many noose incidents around the nation that interactive maps were needed to keep track? It sickened me to see so many nooses unleashed in our nation ... it was as if people didn't know the evil of lynching. I imagine that the folks at Farrell Log Structures are more aware of the issue.

A federal jury awarded $50,000 to an African American construction worker who says he endured racial slurs from his Farrell Log Structures co-workers who once placed a rope around his neck.

Michael A. Kitchen, age 29, sued Farrell Log Homes on a hostile workplace theory under Civil Rights Act of 1866 claiming that his co-workers hurled racial epithets at him, shot nails toward him and even tried to hang him on a job site. Kitchen claimed that the abuse started when his client began working for Farrell Log Homes in early 2004 and lasted until he ran from a job site that summer after employees put a rope around his neck and threatened to hang him. Kitchen eventually quit because he feared for his well being.

Kitchen, 29, made audio recordings of the slurs and those were played during trial. We salute Kitchen for taking this matter to court. Nooses and attempted lynching are not joking matters.

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