Racist doll left hanging in Steven Parks’ work truck
Groveland, FL — An African-American couple from Florida was shocked and outraged when they found a “slave” doll painted with a racist slur left hanging on their work truck. The incident prompted an investigation for an apparent hate crime.Steven Parks and his wife, who both work for Waste Pro, have been frequent targets of harassment at their workplace in Groveland, Florida. The most recent one involving a “slave” doll with a racial slur painted on its clothing that he discovered hanging when he stepped into his truck last Friday.
“Somebody hanged a ‘slave’ doll and they wrote on it, ‘You 2 (expletive) go back to Philly,'” he said. “The only two people who work here that are from Philadelphia are me and my wife.”
Parks have reported the recent incident, as well as the previous harassments, to the company’s human resources. But he said that the company, which is predominantly led by white people, did not take action. He then contacted the local media.
After the incident went public, a representative from Waste Pro claimed that they have called the Groveland Police Department immediately after Parks reported. The company noted that they also launched an internal investigation.
“While we cannot comment on the specifics of these investigations, any type of discrimination or hate crime is abhorrent in the culture of our company, in which more than 60 percent of our 3,500-member workforce are minorities,” said Ron Pecora, senior vice president at Waste Pro.
The city of Groveland confirmed that an investigation is underway and they are looking at it as a possible hate crime.
“The City of Groveland is confident our police department is investigating these allegations thoroughly. The City of Groveland is committed to providing a safe, diverse community where all citizens are treated with respect, and we are putting our full resources toward this investigation. Hate crimes, hate speech and acts of bias will not be tolerated,” city manager Mike Hein said.