Free complimentary copy July 31, 2015 • Volume 2, No. 40
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Hotel employee taking legal action after supervisor hung “slave doll” from doorway in break area By Kris Collins A black employee of Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center is seeking legal recourse after a white supervisor hung a “slave doll” in the doorway to her office July 21. Jaysyn Craddock, 21, of Kansas City, enlisted the help of Stacy Shaw & Associates, LLC, after he took a photo of the doll hanging by its neck from a plastic bag at the hotel. “We have not filed a lawsuit yet, but we have filed a complaint with the (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) and we will be getting our right to sue letter soon,” Shaw said at a press conference Wednesday morning across the street from the hotel. Shaw also said other government agencies are investigating to determine if criminal or civil action should be taken. Craddock, who was reportedly the only black employee on duty when the doll was discovered, did not speak at the press conference. During the press conference, Shaw said the hotel management staff did not take Craddock’s concern about the hanged doll seriously and she said the company created a culture in which such issues are swept under the rug. Calls to the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center were not returned by Raytown-Brooking Eagle press time. According to Shaw, the supervisor who hung the doll, identified by Shaw only as Robin, returned to work a full shift the day after the doll was hung. Shaw further stated the hotel management did not return phone calls from her firm and only fired the supervisor July 24 after learning Craddock hired Shaw’s firm. Cecilia Nuby, an associate attorney at Shaw’s firm, said she was disgusted by the general manager’s statements about the issue. “On the 23rd of July, he asked (if we were) going to sue him over something as goofy as this,” Nuby
said. “Then on the 28th, he made a public comment and said that the culture of Adam’s Mark does not encourage this unlawful harassment. On the 23rd, he said this was goofy. On the 28th, he said it was unlawful harassment.” John Parker, general manager of the hotel, was not available to comment on those statements by Raytown-Brooking Eagle press time. The following is the statement released by the hotel July 28: “This isolated incident is completely inconsistent with the values and culture of the Adam’s Mark Hotel Kansas City. This disturbing occurrence took place late Tuesday evening, July 21st. When brought to the attention of management the following day, an investigation was initiated. Immediately following the investigation, the employee was terminated, Friday, July 24th, prior to the start of their next shift. The Adam’s Mark Kansas City is committed to maintaining a positive working environment free of unlawful harassment.” The doll incident received media attention after Shaw posted the photo of the doll on her Twitter account July 27. Since then the story has been picked up by national news organizations and Shaw’s original tweet has made its rounds on social media websites. Shaw’s original tweet used the hashtag #SandaBland, in reference to an incident in early July in which Sandra Bland, a black woman, was found hanged by a plastic trash liner in a Texas county jail three days after her arrest. An autopsy report indicated her death was a suicide. “It was reminiscent,” Shaw said of the likeness between Bland’s death and the manner in which the doll was hanged. “I can’t speak for the independent mindset of another person because I haven’t interviewed her (Robin), but she could have picked hanging the doll up by her shoulders, by a little piece of string, she could have picked a paperclip, but she specifically chose a
plastic bag. I can’t say that was her motivation, but to me, not knowing the situation and looking at the picture for what it is, I see a black woman hanging by a plastic bag.” The supervisor who allegedly hung the doll had only been recently promoted to the position three weeks before the incident, Shaw said. She said it was unclear if there have been past instances of similar behavior from the supervisor. “Without more employee participation, without taking depositions I can’t independently verify what (Craddock) is subjectively seeing against the objective lens of somebody else,” Shaw said. “I’d have to say I don’t know yet, but I will find out.” The doll wound up at the hotel because a guest at the hotel who was attending a doll conference gave it to an employee at the front desk, Shaw said. Although the supervisor has been fired, Shaw said it isn’t going to bring change at the hotel. “Firing a low-level employee, like a supervisor, and replacing them with another person in that same culture where you have a general manager categorizing this picture as ‘goofy,’ that’s a Band-Aid,” Shaw said. “That’s not fixing the systemic issues that are arising at this particular hotel. So even if they fire this supervisor there will be another supervisor and we’ll be right back to this same situation because you’re putting new people into the same system.” Shaw, who referred to herself as a traffic attorney, said she took Craddock’s case because she believes injustices have to stop. “This case made me realize that I need to take a new direction; that we need to have a stronger, more vibrant voice to stand up against injustice, intolerance and racism that is depicted in this picture,” she said. Shaw did not take questions from a KCTV5 reporter at the press conference because of the organization’s coverage of the story Monday.
At a press conference Wednesday, Cecilia Nuby, associate attorney at Stacy Shaw & Associates, LLC, shows a picture of a “slave doll” that was hung by a plastic bag in a break area at the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center while the firm’s client Jaysyn Craddock, second from right, looks on. Specifically, Shaw referenced a reporter’s comments of how Shaw was turning her case into a cause, in addition to the article’s mention of her expertise in traffic law. “We leaked a lot of the information that we were giving today that would have shed light on the culture of this company,” Shaw told a KCTV5 reporter during the press conference. “We leaked that personally to your employers yesterday. They did not report on it. Instead, they wanted to assist Adam’s Mark in sweeping that under the rug. I stand very strongly against that.” Craddock is still working at the hotel, Shaw said. “To even stand here today with his fiancé, knowing that he is starting a family and he is trying to provide for them, and doing the right thing, facing the adversity that he has to face in the workplace, he’s very brave, but he will continue to go to work,” Shaw said. “He will not abandon his job duties and if he is terminated, we will take appropriate action.” Shaw’s firm is organizing a pro-
Photo courtesy of Jaysyn Craddock On July 21, 2015, a supervisor at the Kansas City Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center allegedly hung a “slave doll” using a plastic bag as a noose and displayed the doll in an employee common area. test for 4 p.m. Aug. 4 in which a group will march from the Missouri Visitor’s Welcome Center at Interstate-70 and Blue Ridge Cutoff to the Adam’s Mark Hotel & Conference Center, located at 9103 E. 39th St.
Sen. LeVota resigns amidst sexual harassment allegations
By Kris Collins
Sen. Paul LeVota, who represents the 11th district, including Raytown and Independence, announced his resignation from the Senate July 24 as the result of allegations of sexual harassment against two former interns. Though, LeVota maintains he did not act inappropriately with the interns. “As I stated before, I did not engage in harassment of any intern in the Missouri Senate and an investigation found no proof of misconduct,” he said in a Facebook post July 24. “However, I will not put my family, myself, or the Senate through the process of dealing with the veracity of false allegations and character assassination against me.” The statement goes on to say his official resignation date is Aug. 23. The same day LeVota announced his plan to resign, Gov. Jay Nixon said in a statement, “Although I have not received a formal letter of resignation, I understand that Senator LeVota has announced his intention to resign from the Missouri Senate. This is
Sen. Paul LeVota announced his resignation from office following sexual harassment allegations from two female interns. a necessary step and is in the best interests of his constituents. I await his formal letter so that his resignation can take effect pursuant to section 21.090, RSMo.” The University of Central Missouri first started its joint inves-
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tigation with the Senate in April after Alissa Hambree, an intern of LeVota’s, made a complaint to the university about LeVota’s behavior, according to a third-party investigative report sent to the Administration Committee of the Missouri Senate. Hambree told an investigator the harassment included unwelcome text messages and explicit requests for sexual activity, according to the investigative report. Hambree reported she had switched phones and no longer had the text messages on her phone. LeVota declined to have a forensic examination of his phone, citing privacy concerns about personal information. Hambree told investigators of one specific instance of sexual harassment Jan. 26 after a lobbyist event she, LeVota and his chief of staff, Ron Berry, attended. LeVota reportedly told Hambree that because she had been drinking she should stay at his duplex in Jefferson City. According to the student intern, she and LeVota drove their separate vehicles to his duplex, at which point LeVota allegedly offered her a glass of wine
and made some derogatory comments about her boyfriend, according to the Senate report. Hambree reported LeVota twice said, “If you want to sleep with me tonite [sic], I won’t tell you no.” She reportedly declined his advances and said LeVota allegedly apologized and continued acting in a flirtatious manner. LeVota denied the happenings. Hambree gave investigators detailed descriptions of the duplex, including what color the couch was and what kind of lock was on the front door. The investigative report notes Hambree cut her hair in a “dramatic fashion so that she would appear less feminine in an effort to detract from being treated adversely because of her gender.” In March, the university withdrew Hambree and a male intern also from the University of Central Missouri from the intern program at the capitol, according to the investigative report. Shortly after the allegations first arose, another former, female intern came forward with similar allegations against LeVota. LeVota garnered criticism for the alleged sexual harassment
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from a number of officials spanning from the national level to Jackson County. Jackson County Legislator Crystal Williams, Missouri Sen. Jill Schupp, Missouri Rep. Stacey Newman, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker issued the following joint statement July 24: “The Missouri General Assembly needs to take all appropriate actions against any official responsible for sexual harassment. It also needs to show that this type of reprehensible behavior will not be tolerated by taking specific steps to create a safe and professional environment for all employees, including unpaid interns. Sen. LeVota must do what is needed to restore the public’s trust.” LeVota’s Facebook page, official website and Twitter account were seemingly deactivated by Monday morning. In closing his Friday post on his Facebook page he wrote, “I want to thank all of my supporters over my years in public service and I look forward to joining the ranks as a private individual and contribute to my community in that way.”
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