By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, February 16 at 3:08 PM
A black contractor working on the I-64 project in St. Clair County, Illinois reported today that her work site was vandalized with a racist symbol. Dorrie Wise, of DKW Construction, said that around 8:00 this morning, she found the body of a dead raccoon hanging from a rope.
After seeing the "lynched coon", Wise said she immediately called her union and advocates of the black contracting community. Area television news crews soon showed up. Because the highway project is funded with federal dollars, representatives of federal agencies also came to the site.
Last year, a group of black contractors threatened civil disobediance unless more minority firms were hired on the project. Workers on the project today called this an act of intimidation, but added they would not be deterred.
"It's 2006 and we've still got to deal with this," Wise told reporters, shaking her head.
2 Comments:
Don't be embarrassed, Urban Review. Acts like these have little to do with race.
In the same way as rape has little to do with sex, or recent acts of terrorism have to do with Islam, or the U.S. invasion of Iraq has little to do with democracy, acts of intimidation like the "lynched coon" are meant to take control away from one person or group, or to prevent power being transferred in the first place.
In this case, someone feels threatened by a job site that has 8 black workers and just 2 whites. Nevermind that such a site is a rare sight indeed.
7:48 AM, February 17, 2006
This is disgusting, and very, very sad. Antonio, I think you summed up the nature of the act pretty well in your response to Steve, but.... Man. The fact that an act like this would even occur to someone is just depressing.
1:15 PM, February 17, 2006
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