CHICAGO (CBS) — Another round of emails released late Friday by the city of Chicago reveal more racist and sexist exchanges among some of the top officials in the Department of Water Management as recently as April a month before some were forced out, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
Earlier emails, part of a months-long investigation by City Inspector General Joe Ferguson, led to Water Management Commissioner Barrett Murphy, Managing Deputy William Bresnahan and District Superintendent Paul Hansen losing their jobs.
The latest batch of emails contain homophobic slurs in addition to anti-black and anti-woman comments. Some of the most striking exchanges include an image of a scarecrow dressed in a KKK robe in a watermelon field, a picture of a nude woman used to celebrate “heterosexual male pride day” and comments mocking gays.
The email containing the KKK scarecrow was forwarded from Hansen to Murphy in July 2014 with the subject line “Watermelon Protection.” Included in the email, which Hansen had received from someone else, was the photo and this statement: “God is great, beer is good … and people are crazy. I’m guessing this would be considered politically incorrect.”
Hansen then added this: “I don’t understand.”
Another racist email Hansen shared with Murphy was sent in February 2013 in response to a request from ComEd for city employees to halt work near a power line serving a fire station, schools and a senior citizen home. “I think the only thing that the line does not feed is the center for the severely challenged negro midgets, you know the place, its where we hired all those laborers from 7 years ago,” Hansen wrote.
In an email Hansen received April 19, 2017 – just a month before he lost his job – there were pictures of steaks on a grill, beer taps on a bar and a woman bearing her breasts along with this message: “To all my friends who are tired of taking a BACK SEAT to gays, lesbians, homosexuals, trans genders, women soldiers, bra burners, female boy scouts, women libbers, tree huggers and eco-commie-environ-freaks, the looney left, Greens, social justice warriors and worse of all – those f—- democrats!
In yet another email, dated March 11, 2014, Hansen shared with Bresnahan a story about a 16-year-old Texas boy who purportedly won the world’s shortest essay competition by writing about religion, royalty, physical disability, racism and homosexuality. The email claimed the boy won a scholarship to a Texas university for writing this: “My God,” cried the Queen, “That one-legged n— is a queer.”
When Hansen was asked Friday night if he would like to comment on the newly released emails, he said, “If you’re looking for a comment, you can forget it” and hung up. A voicemail message left for Murphy was not immediately returned.
Shannon Breymaier, a spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said in a statement the mayor is “fully supportive” of recently appointed Water Management Commissioner Randy Conner’s actions to provide additional EEO training to the department’s managers and supervisors.
Late last month, several current and former water department employees filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and top Water Management officials of creating “a hostile and abusive work environment based on race that includes violence, intimidation (and) retaliation,” the Sun-Times reported.
City of Chicago Department of Water Management employee of 2011 Patrick McDonough noticed a very suspicious pick-up truck lurking around the 4900 West Sunnyside Yard today. Mr. McDonough notified the crack security team that left the gate open again and allowed this dude to sneak into the yard. The crack security team made a major assault upon the possible terrorism suspect. A high ranking political appointee snuck up quietly on this dude as if he was on a turkey hunt, and the dude left the open lot without so much as any license check, or illegal search and seizure. The crack security team did not follow the established protocol which is necessary to save our precious drinking water in Chicagoland. Who was that dude? Why he was not detained? Is Chicago drinking water safe? Why did this political appointee not call in a reckless panic to superiors? Photo by Patrick McDonough
A major copper theft was reported out of the City of Chicago Department of Water Management facilities located at 4900 West Sunnyside. Chicago Clout first reported this theft a couple of weeks ago. A pin point theft located $5000.00 dollars in copper used for water services for Chicago’s over taxed residents. For over a decade, I have reported rolls of copper walking out the door and into District Foreman’s side job trucks. Many City Workers were installing water services on the side stealing this valuable metal. In fact, the Office of the Inspector General looked the other way despite police knocking at the front door of crooks. One brash side job included a retire sewer foreman’s personal residence. Witnesses that were on the side job come forward and nothing was done. Pictures taken and sent to the Inspector General were round files. (For the record, The Vroustouris Days) The same Employees are still in the news and regulars for Workman’s Compensation Benefits. The fact the crooks knew exactly which trucks to break into is very telling. The fact that no pumps, tools, or other valuable items went missing is troubling. Not long ago, I was on the phone with Tom LaPorte, the spokesman for the DOWM, he knew nothing about these thefts. I also asked if it was true that Dwayne Hightower busted two high power political laborers staying at home during the workday. Tom Laporte again knew nothing. He said he will look into these allegations. Many City of Chicago Laborers want to know why some 1092 laborers get to take pickup trucks despite the fact they lack the seniority. Some laborers complained laborer sub Forman are paid to run crews but drive the pick-up trucks instead. None of these laborers are subject to random drug testing despite a liability issue, the city waits until they run over someone. Our greatest concern right now is the lack of competent Management at the North District, the lack of non-union management is causing many problems. There is no General Superintendent to oversee Union Employees with political ties. The Inspector General needs to do something now. It is time to fire the folks running the circus. Rahm Emanuel, do the job you were hired to do. Photo by Patrick McDonough