As some New York residents know firsthand, there are a few things worse than being harassed for who you are. Unfortunately, some people are forced to endure this not only from people they don’t know, but from people they work with as well. Even though most workplaces today have policies in place to prevent harassment and discrimination, it still happens. Fortunately, as the case in one New York situation, some employers take incidents of workplace discrimination very seriously.
Recently, the woman who was in charge of the Brooklyn Gang Bureau was fired by the city’s district attorney for using racial and homophobic slurs toward other employees. According to a recent report in the New York Post, several employees had complained about the woman’s behavior.
In March, the District Attorney’s Office suspsended the woman without pay for three months. Upon reviewing complaints and other records of her behavior, she was fired.
Fortunately, the District Attorney’s Office did the right thing in this situation. By firing the head of their gang unit, they made sure other employees were able to work in a safe and respectful environment — something all New York employees deserve. In a situation like this, however, some employees may feel that firing a harasser is not enough.
In those cases, it is important to understand that there are other ways to enusre that an individual is held accountable for hurtful and inappropriate behavior. An attorney can help explain how to go about filing a civil claim against a person who mistreated you.
Source: New York Post, “Brooklyn DA fires head of Gang Bureau over racial and homophobic slurs,” Josh Saul and Jennifer Bain, June 15, 2013