Personal written invitations were sent only to those who had previously registered for a Roundup. In 1989 and other unspecified years we found evidence that cassette tapes of music by a performer named David Allen Coe were played at various campsites, including a song named "My Wife Ran Off With a Nigger." Nevertheless, because the investigation established some episodes of egregious racist conduct in certain years, we tried to determine which DOJ employees attended the Roundup in those years, and whether they participated in or encouraged such conduct. This fact contributed substantially to the degeneration of the Roundup over the years from an innocuous open-air camping and recreational gathering into a playground for large numbers of the drunk, tasteless, and immature. He contended that racist signs and an effigy of a black person were displayed at the registration desk for the entire Roundup. The last person to be able to consume the required amount without a break was the winner. Finally, public nudity was commonplace at various Roundups. During this sixteen-year period, more than 1,000 people participated in the Roundup, including an estimated 500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials. He described the doll as a seed and told the audience that one must "kill the seed when it is young," and proceeded to beat the doll. When several months later OIG requested that he submit to an interview on a range of topics including his supposed discovery of a "nigger hunting license" at the 1995 Roundup or the militia plan "Operation Achilles Heel," whose stated goal was to discredit ATF, Randall refused and renewed these threats in more graphic terms. Moreover, OIG interviewed residents in the area near where the Roundup was held to learn what relevant evidence they might possess. Unsubstantiated Allegations All rights reserved. Op/Ed: Police Stops Are Dangerous. e) Hayward's White Supremacist Literature. No DOJ employee ever won Redneck of the Year, Ugliest Good O' Boy, Liar's Contest, or Beer Enduro competitions. The OIG report contains a summary of our findings with respect to these and all other DOJ employees who attended. Both of these individuals are affectionately coddled and protected by at least one magistrate and two sitting U.S. District Court judges on the federal bench for the Northern District of Alabama. We found substantial evidence that strippers performed at the campground year after year beginning around 1988. It has come to past that as things change that some things never change. In 1990 officers from Florence and Boone County, Kentucky, and a civilian from Ohio performed a skit as part of the Redneck of the Year contest in which a dog was traded for a man in blackface who then pretended to perform oral sex on a person in mock Ku Klux Klan garments. The phrase used by the persons engaged in the activity was 'checking cars for niggers'. We relate this to the idea of making a copy of a copy. Thirty-six were DOJ employees when they attended; eight went prior to becoming DOJ employees. We found no information as to who was responsible for this sign. 05-26-2005, 01:54 AM. These signs read, "Nigger check point," "Any niggers in that car?," and "17 lb." Intent and a "Whites-only" Policy In part this lack of understanding is the result of very general provisions that govern off-duty conduct. OIG believes further that employees bring disrepute to the Department and adversely affect their ability to perform their law enforcement mission if they knowingly attend an event whose purpose is to encourage or promote racist activity. On this, you do have to appreciate the amount of time someone has put into establishing it. . This article is part four of a seven-part series, illuminating light on the seven errors of leadership behaviors. There are numbers of methods that can be used, from the "good ol' boy" system, to written tests, to assessment centers, or a mixture of all the above. This fact contributed substantially to the degeneration of the Roundup over the years from an innocuous open-air camping and recreational gathering into a playground for large numbers of the drunk, tasteless, and immature. This woman denied that she was raped. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations prohibit federal employees from engaging in "criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral, or notoriously disgraceful conduct prejudicial to the government." A so called "merit-based" promotion policy or system is nothing but another way to make it sound like management is promoting based on merit, when they're actually just putting up a smokescreen to disguise their need to circumvent civil service rules to put their boys into positions they're too . Personal written invitations were sent only to those who had previously registered for a Roundup. Hayward had previously attended several Roundups as a registered attendee, until he was banned for his own racially offensive conduct. They dont get in trouble with command, but theyre not the most people-friendly person youve met. We could not escape making judgments concerning their credibility. Brian Ellis is a 20-year veteran of the Sacramento Police Department. . Mayors put those they know and trust on citizens committees and commissions. Roundup's Racism in the Law enforcement Community Never Died. The "good ol' boy" system is when a leader unabashedly chooses favorites among their subordinates. One witness also recalled that Hayward was wearing a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mask with a bullet hole in the forehead. "A 'good ole' boy' network refers to an informal system where white men of a similar background use their influence for their mutual benefit (and often to the detriment of those who are not part of the 'good ole' boy' network)." . Most people define the Good Ole Boy System as "people who use or gain special treatment with job assignments and promotions because of the relationship they have with others.". A third local resident made a vague and contradictory claim that marijuana was used in the campground during one unspecified Roundup. When several months later OIG requested that he submit to an interview on a range of topics including his supposed discovery of a "nigger hunting license" at the 1995 Roundup or the militia plan "Operation Achilles Heel," whose stated goal was to discredit ATF, Randall refused and renewed these threats in more graphic terms. In 1992, T-shirts with a pocket drawn on the upper left of the shirt, a drawing of the head of the character Buckwheat from the old television show "Little Rascals," and the words "Good Ole Boys '92" written on the pocket were offered for sale by some unidentified person or persons. Without these examples, the texture of the event could not be adequately communicated. Once Hayward and Randall's allegations were made public, one former and several current black ATF agents made allegations that the Roundup was a "whites-only" event and that no black agents had ever been invited to attend. Our investigative and interviewing strategy was designed to get beyond potentially self-serving accounts. The signs were removed and destroyed. We are rapidly heading into 2015. We have referred to the Director of the FBI a report with respect to this one current FBI employee for whom we recommend that punishment be considered for his behavior at the Roundup. . Contrary to the media accounts of this incident, the black agents were not turned away from the Roundup. In response to this activity and an article Hayward published about the Roundup the following month in the NAAWP Newsletter, in which he claimed that numerous David Duke supporters attended the Roundup, the event's organizers instituted new policies for 1993 prohibiting political and racist activity. This creates a multitude of problems. Others may restrict the hiring of relatives or friends in more general conflict-of-interest rules. We have been on the . One of the most common threads among troops wanting to leave a unit (or the military in general) is toxic leadership. agent and to the applicable Department of Treasury component for one of its employees who used to be employed by DOJ. Some witnesses we found to be extremely credible; others to be wholly incredible. Despite evidence that the Roundup organizers officially discouraged such performances, their efforts to exercise control were half-hearted at best. When LMPD Chief Erica Shields started in January 2021, Chief Chavous was reassigned and replaced by Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel. Each of these persons identified the same woman as the alleged rape victim. OIG investigated these allegations and concluded that none of the claims that a woman was raped at a Roundup were supported by the evidence. Taunting the ATF agent about the presence of the two blacks, one of the Fort Lauderdale officers stated, "ATF fucks up everything they touch. Although OIG was able to interview the local residents and the current and former ATF agents who made allegations, the militia members did not cooperate. Contact Mike for services Life Coaching, Training, Team Building, Corporate Training, Project Management, and Public Speaking The person who observed the sign reported that it was gone within half an hour. Thus, DOJ participation in the Roundup was relatively insignificant both numerically and organizationally. OIG subpoenaed computer and bank records relating to the Roundup from Gene Rightmyer, the former ATF agent who had organized and led the Roundup from 1980 through 1995. I look around from time to time and never cease to be amazed at how little social progress we have actually made. Collaborative environments are incubators for good ideas to occur. B. In 2019, Bryan County law enforcement officials responded to 661 domestic violence calls. In addition, we found that because the central activity during most Roundups was the consumption of large quantities of Roundup-supplied alcohol, the organizers knowingly sacrificed the ability to control the conduct of participants. But by failing to eject or punish any of the people known to have engaged in the misconduct, the Roundup organizers failed to deliver a strong, unequivocal message that racist conduct would not be tolerated. A future Roundup president and Hayward can be readily identified. Even male attendees told us that would not have wanted any female family member or friend to attend the Roundup because of how women were treated. They hire people from Africa, who barley speak or understand English. None of the allegations of criminal conduct were substantiated, although activity inappropriate for a gathering with a substantial number of law enforcement officers took place. In addition to the persons who brought allegations of racism to light, OIG sought to interview persons who were identified as having committed racially offensive acts. After multiple failed attempts, Satterthwaite was elected as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer under then-Deputy Chief Lavita Chavous. ", 4. Our initial task was to identify DOJ employees who attended any of the Roundups. In reality, the clothes do not exist, and although swindled, the emperor himself does not admit he cannot see them, because he doesnt want to be seen as unwise. When the organizers of the Roundup learned about the signs, they ordered the signs taken down. Council members, mayors, and legislators must make special efforts to ensure that they hear all sides of an issue rather than just relying on the views of the people they know. Furthermore, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in public hearings emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation because the allegations implicated numerous law enforcement agencies in the criminal justice system. During the course of this investigation OIG interviewed over 500 witnesses, including participants in the Roundup, people who were invited but did not attend, vendors to the Roundup, DOJ employees based in Southeastern offices, river raft guides, local Tennessee residents, and others. Professor Kellerman has identified insular leaders as the fourth of the seven types of bad leaders (Johnson, 2012). "We are proud of the support we have from Democrat and Republican sheriffs. We found evidence of the unofficial sale of T-shirts during several Roundups that some persons found to be racially insensitive. The last person to be able to consume the required amount without a break was the winner. We found substantial evidence that the campground was a hostile environment for women especially in the later years of the Roundup. Sometime after the confrontation some unidentified persons painted the words "niggers go home" and "whites only" on toilets in the campground. ForAppleorAndroidusers. OIG received no allegations and found no evidence that any DOJ property was used to support the Roundup. Regardless of their source, if true, these allegations threatened to seriously undermine the ability of these agents to perform their critical missions, particularly enforcing federal criminal law, upholding civil rights laws, and providing equal protection under the law. Verifying the allegations, therefore, required assessing the accuracy and reliability of testimony given by witnesses. In addition, allegations of criminal conduct, including narcotics distribution and rape, were raised at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held within ten days of the original news stories. They are a master at what they do and have not just helped others with problems, theyve taught others how to fix those problems for next time. Vari Hall, Santa Clara University500 El Camino RealSanta Clara, CA 95053408-554-5319, Ethical Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination, Hackworth Fellowships Project Showcase 2021, The Ethics of Going Back to School in a Pandemic, Systemic Racism, Police Brutality, and the Killing of George Floyd, COVID-19: Ethics, Health and Moving Forward, The Ethical Implications of Mass Shootings, Political Speech in the Age of Social Media, Point/Counterpoint: Democratic Legitimacy, Brett Kavanaugh and the Ethics of the Supreme Court Confirmation Process. The first issue is competence. Despite evidence that the Roundup organizers officially discouraged such performances, their efforts to exercise control were half-hearted at best. Instead, it is working for those in power, which crushes ongoing momentum efforts. When someone is granted a position because of connections rather than because he or she has the best credentials and experience, the service that person renders to the public may be inferior. Also, because favoritism is often covert (few elected officials are foolish enough to show open partiality to friends, and family), this practice undercuts the transparency that should be part of governmental hiring and contracting processes. The day before the Roundup opened a small sign that read, "no niggers," was observed posted on a stake alongside the road into the campground. For 1989, we received numerous allegations of racist conduct, most of which were made by Richard Hayward. 1. On two occasions the Redneck of the Year contest contained blatantly racist material. Although our investigation established that the Roundup was nothing like a "Klan rally," the fact that specific acts of racist misconduct occurred in three different years made more difficult our assessment of the general charge that the Roundup had a "whites-only" attendance policy. Compounding the frustration is that these small groups of in-players are loyal to each other to the core, even when one of their members is incompetent. Worst yet are those organizations that seek improvement in this area and bring in another person to fix, who ultimately repeats the same thing in the attempt of changing the organization. In the change process, the new leader creates more of the same, as the only thing that changes are the players, not the game (Katzenbach, Steffen, & Kronley, 2012). CLICK HERE TO TAKE A SURVEY ON TOXIC LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE, Andersen, H. (n.d.). At least 10 percent of the attendees had federal law enforcement affiliations. Despite reports that prostitutes were present during various Roundups, we found no evidence that anyone was solicited for prostitution or that sex was exchanged for money. Racist skits were performed in 1990 and 1992. Connections, networking, family-almost everyone has drawn on these sources of support in job hunting in the private spherre. OIG investigated each of these claims as well, most of which were initially contained in affidavits of two women submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee in July. What do favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism have to do with ethics? WHAS11 asked Mayor Greg Fischer about the allegations on Tuesday. We found no evidence that anyone complained about such displays or that any action was taken to remove them. Police organizations in particular are always on an uphill march and need every person to be on the winning team for the progress that needs to take place. We also coordinated with a number of other law enforcement agencies that were conducting investigations into participation by their own personnel in the Roundup, most notably the Department of Treasury Office of the Inspector General (Treasury OIG). We essentially place or lives in each others hands. This is evident in circumstances where internal gossip runs rampant and everyone plays by a different set of rules; where peers are unwilling to share information and politics control all decisions, ultimately leading to a lack of internal transparency. The signs were removed and destroyed. In media interviews, Randall and Hayward stated that they went to the site of the 1995 Roundup with the intention of finding racist conduct to report. While these practices are intended to strengthen us as a whole and weed out the untrustworthy, it actually does the opposite. Without these examples, the texture of the event could not be adequately communicated. Even though our assessment is that an inadequate evidentiary basis exists to recommend discipline for any of the other DOJ employees whose conduct we considered, we are extremely troubled by many of the excesses committed by non-DOJ attendees at the Roundup that developed during the mid-1980s and grew far worse during the years 1990-95. Finally, public nudity was commonplace at various Roundups. A related idea is patronage, giving public service jobs to those who may have helped elect the person who has the power of appointment. Other attendees intervened and broke up the confrontation. He contended that racist signs and an effigy of a black person were displayed at the registration desk for the entire Roundup. Although high ranking officers and senior enlisted have always tried to pluck toxicity out of the system because it goes against every military value, it still rears its head, typically in the form of the good ol boy system. Nevertheless, because the investigation established some episodes of egregious racist conduct in certain years, we tried to determine which DOJ employees attended the Roundup in those years, and whether they participated in or encouraged such conduct. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/crsj Part of the Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, and the Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons Recommended Citation Kami Chavis Simmons, Beginning to End Racial Profiling: Definitive Solutions to an Elusive Problem, 18 However, in an investigation that examined events occurring over a sixteen-year period and involving well in excess of 1,000 participants, we cannot be sure that we have uncovered every objectionable incident. Although not identified as such, Randall and Hayward proved to be members of a militia group based in Alabama that sought to discredit the ATF. Another local resident professed to have actually seen the rape during the 1988 or 1989 Roundup. Please follow him on Twitter @BrianEllis10. Lieutenant Ellis has worked in a number of specialized assignments including with the Problem Oriented Policing Unit, Parole Intervention and Career Criminal Apprehension Teams, Narcotics and Robbery/Burglary divisions. And in many cases, DOJ employees acted as one would hope they would -- they saw an event marked by excessive alcohol consumption and puerile behavior and never returned. The Orange County Sheriffs Office has problems like everywhere else, but at least Sheriff Kevin Beary supports his troops. Maintain a fair and consistent workplace; employees who feel that they are treated fairly and respectfully are less likely to complain or sue. We could not escape making judgments concerning their credibility. When a small group is privy to whats really going on, the majority of the organization is in the dark and cannot be expected to have the ability to do its best work. Some spent little time at the campground where the misconduct took place; others hardly stayed at the Roundup for any period of time. Although we found credible evidence that Rightmyer gave speeches exhorting participants to stop such behavior, his efforts were sporadic at best and essentially went unheeded. Because of the lack of controls placed on the distribution of fliers once they reached particular offices, the extent to which they were brought to the attention of the agents in these offices varied. The law is clear and yet, somehow, different troops arent held to the same standard for the same crimes. Only through a full understanding of the context of the event and the employee's participation in it can a fair assessment be made of whether punishment is appropriate. (1999). We not only had to deal with weak recollections due to the passage of time but also faulty or incomplete memories because so many participants had consumed so much alcohol during the Roundup. (Subsequently, the FBI concluded that Hayward's video taken at the 1990 Roundup was authentic and had not been altered.). Hayward was told he could not enter the campground unless all of these materials were removed. The lawsuit alleges that the department retaliated against Satthertwaite when he filed a complaint about a practice he believed to be unlawful. We are not aware of any effort that was made to establish who posted the signs. http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html, https://hbr.org/2012/07/cultural-change-that-sticks, https://qz.com/196273/how-to-break-up-the-old-boys-club-in-your-office/. These standards apply to employees' off-duty conduct in addition to their conduct on the job. Although Hayward alleged that the tape also contained a racist "comedy" routine and was for sale at the campground, we found no corroboration for these additional claims. Moreover, we found Randall's claim to have found the "license" in a Roundup bathroom not to be credible. This group of participants affiliated with DOJ constitutes approximately three percent of the estimated total number of attendees at the sixteen Roundups. These men and women have been the . Logically speaking, the first troop should get a higher award than the second. Finally, a full investigation of the Roundup was necessary because these allegations had a large potential impact on the administration of the federal criminal justice system and the character and reputation of federal law enforcement officers We are disturbed that an event characterized by rampant public drunkenness, widespread public lewdness, and in later years episodes of racist conduct drew participants from DOJ and other law enforcement organizations. We conclude that specific disciplinary action is not warranted for the vast majority of DOJ employees who attended the Roundup in one or more years. No DOJ employee ever served on the "REX" (Roundup Executive Committee), the group responsible for setting Roundup policies. 2023 Copyright Law Enforcement Today - All Rights Reserved. Although we heard conflicting views as to whether this conduct was intended to send a benign message of "Southern heritage" or a message of racism and intolerance, especially towards African Americans, we conclude that such displays had the effect, whether intended or not, of adding to a racially charged and hostile environment. A future Roundup president and Richard Hayward can be readily identified in the photo. We found no evidence that the invitations to the Roundup, either written or oral, made explicit references or even allusions to racial restrictions on attendance or that racist activities were available or welcome at the event.
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