Now, this is just shameful!
Black orderlies Elijah Crawford and Ishmael Cox have filed a lawsuit against North Shore, Long Island anesthesiologist Dr. Charles Militana and surgical technician Mario Nistico, claiming they terrorized them by hanging nooses on their lockers, as well as by making racial comments.
“Where I work, there are a lot of educated people with an immature way of behaving,” said Elijah Crawford, who filed the discrimination suit in Brooklyn Federal Court with Ishmael Cox. “When I see a noose, it’s a statement of racial hate,” Crawford, 43, told the Daily News Tuesday. “It’s a threat. It’s a sign of terrorism.”
Nistico later admitted he hung two nooses; one in the summer of 2011 and the other later that year.
“It’s something that was done that was stupid on my behalf,” Nistico said, adding that he was suspended without pay for one week and ordered to a class on workplace behavior. He denied using racial epithets.
According to the suit, Dr. Militana also made crude comments to Crawford, asking him about his penis size.
Militana even declared, “How can Obama be smart? He is black.”
Crawford and Cox alerted the hospital and they conducted an in-house investigation instead of informing the Nassau County Police.
“They (the hospital) wanted to cover it up,” Cox said.
The end result of the hospital’s investigation only led to “half-hearted apologies,” the orderlies disappointingly said.
North Shore spokesman Terry Lynam has issued a statement in light of the allegations: “Our policy and practices promote diversity and respect for employees. Unfortunately, we can’t get into a discussion about the allegations because it’s under litigation.”
Militana and Nistico, see you in court!
SOURCE: NY Daily News
