Prison guard lawsuit alleges (racially hostile) bias

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20101118/NEWS97/711189806#prison-guard-lawsuit-alleges-bias

Published Thursday November 18, 2010

By Martha Stoddard

LINCOLN — The comments came first:

“Looks like the back of the bus is here.” “Smells like fried chicken.” “If the lights went out, all you would see were white teeth.”

Then came the veiled threats to “watch your back” and “pair up” because “you never know what might happen in the yard.”

The last straw for four African-American employees at the Nebraska State Penitentiary was having top corrections officials allegedly tell them it would be difficult to stop racially offensive comments and behavior by their co-workers.

The four filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court, claiming that they had been subjected to a racially hostile workplace and that state officials did not act to correct the problem.

The suit names as defendants Robert Houston, director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, along with the deputy director, the penitentiary warden and two associate wardens.

The employees are Jaryl Ellis, Michael Hunter, Tiffany Johnson and Paul Zeiger.

Hunter is a caseworker who has worked at the pententiary since 2006. The others are guards who have been at the state prison for 22 months or more.

Jefferson Downing, the Lincoln attorney representing the four, said his clients turned to the legal system because of the extent of the problem.

FULL story at link.