WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT THE LAUSD SUB UNIT, DECEMBER 2010: NOTHING It is CLEAR TO ME NOW that the LAUSD & UTLA concocted a plan to get
rid of me because they consider me "conservative" and therefore
"narrow-minded" while they themselves are "liberal" and
"non-judgmental" & "inclusive" & "accepting" of others (unless, of
course they are judging & excluding & not accepting "narrow-minded
conservatives". In fact, it is clear that many of these people who
approached me at the last moment as "friends" were anything but
friends, but were part of the conspiracy to take me down (sometimes a
conspiracy is real, not always an imagined "conspiracy theory.") Let's begin with Dave Peters. Why, in November of 2010 did I suddenly
get an email from Peters at an address I had never provided to him,
nor subscribed to the Yahoo groups he moderates for LAUSD substiute
teachers (this groups email by the way, which I did subscribe to at
another email address is so overwhelming in quantity of new posts that
it quickly fills an email account. Now when I search for something in
my email I always have to do an exclusion search minus LaSubs). So Dave Peters contacts me by email in November 2010 reminding me of a
substitute teacher meeting. I rarely attended these meetings because
when I first started substitute teaching in 1998 (after being a
regular teacher for a few years in another district I went back to
school to get my Masters-in-Divinity, originally at Calvin Seminary
('96-97), then I transferred to Fuller Seminary in September of '97,
at which point I also became a substitute teacher for the LAUSD, when
the headquarters was still at the old location) I felt like a
"youngster" at the substitute meetings, and ironically, thirteen years
later, was still treated like a youngster, when I decided to take a
chance and check-in at a substitute meeting. Ironically, this may have
led to my demise (although in some ways, I consider leaving the LAUSD
to be a blessing and a "graduation" of sorts; nonethless still unfair
& sleazy how it was handled by LAUSD). Anyways, I attended a meeting in November '10 at which I heard
different speakers & met a few people, all of whom, of course, thought
I was a "new" substitute because they had never seen me before. I
didn't assume, however, that they were new because I hadn't seen them
before. At this meeting a lady by the name of Kennon Raines, apparently from
New York & possibly a relatively new substitute, albeit older in age
than me, stood up & spoke about a legal action she was leading against
the UTLA via PERB (Public Employment Relations Board) and strongly
encouraged others to join in and also reminded them (us) that $100 is
required. I remember Dave Peters pulled out a $100 bill on the spot, &
Kennon laughed. Kennon told us we could attend the PERB hearing, but when asked,
didn't know the address . At the time I thought she was speaking of a
legal action at the superior court and suggested it was at 111 N. Hill
(the central L.A Superior Court) and she said, "Yeah, that's it." Was
she being sarcastic or just being agreeable? Because when I went there
on the specified date a week later there was NOTHING re the LAUSD or
UTLA . I finally emailed Dave Peters and he gave me the correct
information, which was the first time I realized this was a PERB
action, not superior court (I myself had a previous PERB action when I
was with my old school district; at that time the main office was on
Wilshire, now they are in Glendale). So I went over to the hearing in Glendale & actually spent several
days sitting in and observing. It was here that I met a number of
other substitutes including John Walsh, Karen Morgan, & Vicky from
Peru, among others. It was also here that on every single occassion
Kennon Raines pretended not to know who I was. Each session she would
come up to me and say, "And who are you?" Maybe she was upset that I
wasn't a paying participant, but I didn't pay because I wasn't an
"affected member" according to the specifics she gave at the
substitute meeting. I was there to observe for my own case (I filed my
own action against LAUSD via PERB in December '10, in part, at the
time, due to what I thought was friendly encouragment by email from
Kennon Raines; it wasn't until later that she started the "Who are
you?" Status degradation routine. And speaking of status degradation, it was at the sub meeting in Nov
'10 when Daryl Bohanon,an African-American male substitute a few years
older than me, approached me in the elevator as I was leaving and we
started talking and he was friendly at first and told me about his
film-making endeavors, etc ...but after I told him I also made little
videos & especially Christian content he began peppering all his
sentences with
"f-ck". It was a strange metamorphis, and by the end of our
conversation he had called me a "Christian geek"
And he said it again when I ran into him at a Christmas social for
subs at the "veggie" restaurant (free for substitutes, paid for by our
dues). Anyways, maybe more about Bohanon later ( I mention it as part
of the status degradation theme, & I feel sorry for any kids in any
classes Bohanon teaches as an elementary sub if he deems them to be
"Christian geeks", or maybe just "white"; perhaps one & the same in
his book). Bohanon by the way mentioned he is originally from Chicago.
Its ironic that in our conversation, I started out by confiding in him
some of my frustration re my experiences recently in the LAUSD schools
as a substitute, thinking he was a "friend" but by the end of the
conversation he had turned against me. Back to my PERB action: I filed this because I thought that I was
getting less assignments as retaliation against my lawsuit (or Writ )
via LAUSD at the time they miscounted my hours a few years prior and
therefore lost my health benefits. It took me several months to get
the miscounted hours properly recorded and my health benefits restored
(the miscount, by the way, was due to a few schools not properly
recording my assignments). Retaliation by an employer for legal action
against them by an employee is prohibited by law as well as the codes
enforced specifically by PERB (but school districts may do it more
often than people realize). And by the way, over the thirteen years I worked as a substitute
teacher, more than once I sent a fax and/or letter to the UTLA,
specifically addressed to president A.J. Duffy, among others, and only
once did they specifically respond and offer assistance, and at no
point did they ever say they couldn't help me because I was not a UTLA
member. This is a very long & complicated story, but later (in January 2011
they said they had no record of me being a "member", only a dues
payer; yet I had filled out the membership form previously and again
in December '10 at Shakeys Pizza at another substitute Christmas
meeting because for some reason Dave Peters handed me another blue
form). Did Dave Peters not turn it in? Or did somebody "lose" it,
conveniently, at my expense ? Also, Dave at the veggie restaurant, along with Virgie from the
Philippines, identified themselves as evangelical Christians. I wasn't
sure if this was sincere or not, but they apparently wanted me to
know. Dave mentioned being a former follower of Bennie Hinn (which is
different in degree to my Christian background in the CRC, Christian
Reformed Church; but I didn't say anything.) Virgie, unlike most
Filipinos I know, was not Catholic, but protestant, and apparently
also works at an insurance office. She, too, apparently thought I was
a new sub and even invited me to come to her church some time. I
mentioned the churches I attend to her, including St. Basil on
Wilshire. I also told her of my involvement in the Philippines in a
summer mission (1992). This is SO complicated to try to un-ravel...but back to the PERB
meetings. For several hearings I sat next to Karen Morgan, and
exchanged emails with her at one point. In one of the emails I sent
following a PERB hearing I gave her a lot of my personal information,
including my experience in Pasadena and some of the legal nonsense I
endured & suffered thru mostly because of Hugh Halford, ALL of which
is done with and my name and record is clear. I don't know what became
of the information I divulged. Whether she used it against me or not I
do not know. I hope not. Also at these PERB hearings I observed attorney Bill Evans leading the
case for Kennon Raines & subs (v UTLA) , & later I would meet Bill at
the Pasadena Library. Anyways, on January 20, 2011 I was informed that
I was being "separated" from employment due to "three ISR's"
(insufficient service reports). At the time I had no awareness of any
ISR's. Later I would discover that one of them had been sent to the
wrong address by Regina Echols at the sub unit, and in none of the
three cases was I given the contractually required pre-requisite
meeting with administrator (& with utla rep present if I requested) .
I contended all three ISR's were illegitimate for lack of due process,
as well as lack of merit. I included a discussion of this in my PERB
complaint, as well as amended complaint. I also discussed the fact that at a December '10 meeting with Regina
Echols (assistant to Marjorie) & Marjorie Josaphat (director of sub
unit who took over after Dale Van Mill moved up) at the substitute
unit at 333 S. Beaudry I found out for the first time that my
seniority was wrongly ranked. I was further down than I should have
been according to the time I was hired. I asked Marjorie to adjust
this and later received a confirmation from Regina saying Marjorie had
approved my request and my seniority was now properly recorded...the
significance being those with more seniority were supposed to get
first assignment opportunities...for the last two years my offered
assignments had dwindled...apparently in part because of this
seniiority misclassification, but, I suspected, perhaps also due to
shenanigans, possibly by Diane Lemus or Irma (both of whom work the
phones & the subfinder every morning for many years). I don't know
either "by sight" & don't know Irma's last name and didn't know
Diane's last name either until recently when I received a written
document from the LAUSD). I say this because I definitely felt some
antagonism coming from Irma, and less from Diane, over time when I
would call the sub unit for various reasons over the past thirteen
years (although I don't remember them during the first few years). After this notification saying my seniority had been adjusted (by the
way, Regina would not have changed it, if it had been her decision),
prior to January 20, suddenly I was getting lots of calls again. But
January 20, after a day at Belmont High, I would not work again as a
substitute for the LAUSD (as of May 2011 I don't have any real hope of
help from PERB, although I do plan to still file v UTLA; but also will
not return to LAUSD without a few written apologies from certain
pertinent people; and also am concentrating on my higher purpose of
promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ for the Kingdom of God &
heaven). But let me cut to the chase: Without further discussion of the
illegitimate ISR's and unwarranted insults, etc. Apparently the REAL
issue is that Diane Lemus considered me to be a threat to her when I
came to the substitute unit in December '10. That particular day began
with me calling the sub unit, first to inquire about assignments (if
you don't get a call from the sub finder by a certain time, you are
allowed to call the sub unit & ask if there was anything "unfilled")
and second to ask about meeting with Regina Echols (Kennon Raines
said, when she was still being friendly, by email, that I should
specifically ask to speak to Regina). I remember I called, or dialed, a few times for each reason (ie first
for assignments, second re Regina). I remember Diane speaking
condescendingly towards me ...at one point she thought I asked the
same question twice and said "You already asked that..." & I hung up
at one point because of the condescension. After thirteen years, she &
Irma still spoke "down" to me and still spoke to me as if they didn't
know me or know of me, as if I was a stranger). I decided to simply drive to the sub unit & personally appear and ask
to speak with Regina. I did this and Irma (whom I identified by sight
for the first time, but probably wouldn't remember what she looks like
if I walked past her on the street) arranged for me to speak with
Regina (whom I had never met) in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I said,
"Where's Diane?" and Irma did not respond. I wanted to personally meet
Diane and try to "break thru the ice" and let her know who I AM
...(but I realize now that neither Diane nor Irma, and perhaps not
Regina either) want to truly KNOW me in a friendly way. They have
politics they are playing for self-serving reasons. Moments later, Regina introduced herself. She was a large
African-American woman and called me "Mr. Coke". We sat down in her
14th floor (?) Office overlooking the south side of downtown Los
Angeles. I began to communicate to her my concern about not getting
adequate assignments. There was no mentioned of Irma or Diane. They
were NOT really on my mind whatsoever apart from when I first arrived.
However, seconds later, Regina called Diane on the phone speaker
asking for my records, or the records of that day's assignments
offered (Regina wanted to verify that I was getting called in order of
my seniority), and Diane's voice came thru loud-&-clear saying she h
would send the papers and then she also added loudly that she had
"called for security." I said to Regina, "Called for security?" & Regina said, "We were a
little concerned...you seemed agitated.." Aha, buzz words: "agitated".
That's a police buzz word for an excuse to use force against a
citizen. The person was "agitated." And by the way, over the thirteen
years I was there, the LAUSD really shifted in style & tone from the
old headquarters to the new skyscraper, and all the security they
added: school police in the lobby and identification check-in, etc.
And sure enough, moments later an Latino security guard appeared &
stood outside the office for the entire conversation. At at one point this security officer even entered in to the office
when Regina asked him to speak for the entire school district to say
there is "no racism" against whites in any LAUSD schools or at the
district office. She asked him this because I contended I had
experienced racism. I wondered what credentials a Latino security
guard had to speak for the entire school district on the issue of
"reverse racism", but Regina apparently thought that the matter was
settled. But by & large the conversation was about my assignments, or lack of,
& it was revealed that my seniority was wrongly ordered. Had the
conversation ended there, however, Regina would not have changed my
seniority because, she said, it was correct due to a brief separation
(for a few months pending an appeal I had with the California Teaching
Commission which was settled in my favor). So I asked to speak to
Marjorie and a few moments later she appeard (I wish I would have
asked to speak to her privately). Marjorie (apparently originally from
Haiti) remembered a video I had sent her (something from my ministry)
and was a friendly face. We discussed the matter again and she said
she would consider it (& later did approve an adjustment of my
seniority). (All of this, by the way, was BEFORE I had filed with PERB
but the notice of seniority adjustment came AFTER I filed with PERB). Reiterating my concern about reverse racism, I mentioned to Regina &
Marjorie that I wished there were some males and/or whites working on
the sub unit (as far as I could tell, there were zero) (and by the
way, if the entire sub unit consisted of white people,
I would wish for a few non-whites). I mentioned some antagonistic
experiences at a few schools and that also given the lack of
assignments "This may be my last year." I had to seriously consider
"retiring" or resigning if I wasn't getting regular work and not just
at the most difficult locations. There was other small chit-chat but that was the extent of it. And I
got up to go & said a few pleasantries, and made my way across the
floor when suddenly Marjorie said loudly, "Do you need a parking
voucher?" I'm not sure why she yelled this, but I told her I was
parked at a failed meter. Perhaps the intent was to signal to
everybody on the floor know that this man in the suit was not an
executive (I.e."nobody special") to pretend to love . I paused momentarily on my way out to speak with the white woman by
the elevator who sits there day after day offering UTLA information. I
asked her if she was a volunteer and she seemed offended. Apparently
not. She gets paid to do it. I thought to myself, some days I wish I
had a regular same thing every day job. A few seconds later the same
Latino security guard appeared, & again seemed to think he had the
right to listen in on our conversation. I mentioned again the
"unmentionable": that I believed there was some anti-white racism in
the LAUSD (or anti-conservative white,
or simply anti-Christian white). The Latino guard once again felt he
had the qualifications to speak for the entire school district and say
this was not possible.
I went down the elevator and left the building without further ado. I recite all this because it was this meeting at the sub unit that
apparentl is the ACTUAL reason they are using as a pretext for
separation (I.e. suggesting that I was a threat to Diane Lemus). To
this day I do not know what Diane looks like. I wouldn't know her if I
saw her on the street and if I did I wouldn't be aggressive towards
her. There's a BIG DIFFERENCE between trying or wanting to let
somebody know you, who you are, versus being aggressive. There's a BIG
DIFFERENCE between assertively trying to reconcile a matter with
somebody or to try to respond assertively to an insult, versus
aggression. Yet some people want to make ANY ASSERTIVE ACTION out to
be an aggressive or potentially aggressive action, thereby adding
insult to injury. There are good people on the street today who are
victims of these types of perpetrators. These perpetrators will begin
with insult or sleight and then when the victim of the insult attempts
to assertively respond to the insult, the perpetrator will cry "foul
!" This is primarly something unscrupulous women might do to men, because
a woman can allege fear towards almost any man for any reason or no
reason at all and the woman will be believed & protected sometimes at
the expense of the man's reputation and without merit.
I say all this because it came to my attention later that somebody had
documented this as an "incident" and it became circulated amongst
people, even as far away as substitutes in general, including Dave
Peters (who responded to me in an email that its apparently about
"something that happened when you visited the sub unit...."). I even
received something in the mail from the LAUSD that documented it as an
"incident" and may have been included in the LAUSD response to PERB. The BIG PROBLEM is that #1, Nothing happened, no threats were made or
intended, and if Diane truly or falsely misperceived my actions as a
potential threat, that's simply her misperception. The LAUSD is NOT a
court of law and has NO AUTHORITY as a court of law to determine a
crime was committed based on one person's biased race-based
misperception. Did the LAUSD ask me for MY account of the incident as
a thirteen year employee ? Why is Diane, et.al's account to be
regarded as gospel truth, and my account NOT even asked for or taken
into consideration? And if there was an actual, true, threat, why
wasn't it reported to the police. Only a police-reported incident
along with charges, and ultimately a determination of guilty by a
judge or jury constitutes a crime. One or more person's testimony
alone, especially race-based biased testimony cannot stand alone as a
"judge, jury, & executioner." And what do you make of ann employer who
only considers the testimony of one employee but not the other? A
little biased? And what do you make of anybody who listens to one
testimony without considering the other? Truth is, nothing "happened" at the sub unit that morning other than
perhaps a concoction by Diane et.al. But a concoction is simply a
concoction. I've known all along that they didn't like me for possibly
racial reasons alone, but that's NOT an allowed reason to exclude me
or marginalize me as a qualified teacher for the public sector. In fact, if something HAD happened why wasn't I arrested or detained
by the security guard? Why was my request to Marjorie Josaphat for
seniority adjustment subsequently granted? Up until they found out I
had filed with PERB everything returned somewhat to normal. It was the
complaint with PERB that suddenly triggered a response and this added
"incident" report. Thus, it was retaliation. And of course, a threat
or potential threat of violence is really the ultimate death blow to a
person's career as a professional. They knew that if they could convince others that I was being
aggressive, especially towards a woman, it would quiet any uproar or
support I might get from others. Well, I'm here to tell you that they
created FICTION. I was NOT a physical threat, nor had any threatening
intentions that morning, nor prior, nor later, nor now. I did feel
irritated by the way I was mistreated from time to time by Diane
and/or Irma at the sub unit , just as I am irritated by waiting in
line too long at the bank, or being on hold too long when I call
T-mobile (most recently I was on hold for over 39
minutes), or being in a traffic jam ( a daily occurrence). Yet I have
never gone on a violent spree because of any of these daily
irritations. I do voice complaints assertively in writing or to a
supervisor from time-to-time. That's it. Southern California loves the "imagination" and drama and fiction...it
makes good movies and stories, but sometimes you have to be able to
separate fact from fiction and believe the fact. If you want to
believe negative fiction for self-serving reasons, that's YOU being
dishonest to yourself and others. How does the UTLA fit innto my conspiracy theory? More to come. Stay tuned-- Vander
rid of me because they consider me "conservative" and therefore
"narrow-minded" while they themselves are "liberal" and
"non-judgmental" & "inclusive" & "accepting" of others (unless, of
course they are judging & excluding & not accepting "narrow-minded
conservatives". In fact, it is clear that many of these people who
approached me at the last moment as "friends" were anything but
friends, but were part of the conspiracy to take me down (sometimes a
conspiracy is real, not always an imagined "conspiracy theory.") Let's begin with Dave Peters. Why, in November of 2010 did I suddenly
get an email from Peters at an address I had never provided to him,
nor subscribed to the Yahoo groups he moderates for LAUSD substiute
teachers (this groups email by the way, which I did subscribe to at
another email address is so overwhelming in quantity of new posts that
it quickly fills an email account. Now when I search for something in
my email I always have to do an exclusion search minus LaSubs). So Dave Peters contacts me by email in November 2010 reminding me of a
substitute teacher meeting. I rarely attended these meetings because
when I first started substitute teaching in 1998 (after being a
regular teacher for a few years in another district I went back to
school to get my Masters-in-Divinity, originally at Calvin Seminary
('96-97), then I transferred to Fuller Seminary in September of '97,
at which point I also became a substitute teacher for the LAUSD, when
the headquarters was still at the old location) I felt like a
"youngster" at the substitute meetings, and ironically, thirteen years
later, was still treated like a youngster, when I decided to take a
chance and check-in at a substitute meeting. Ironically, this may have
led to my demise (although in some ways, I consider leaving the LAUSD
to be a blessing and a "graduation" of sorts; nonethless still unfair
& sleazy how it was handled by LAUSD). Anyways, I attended a meeting in November '10 at which I heard
different speakers & met a few people, all of whom, of course, thought
I was a "new" substitute because they had never seen me before. I
didn't assume, however, that they were new because I hadn't seen them
before. At this meeting a lady by the name of Kennon Raines, apparently from
New York & possibly a relatively new substitute, albeit older in age
than me, stood up & spoke about a legal action she was leading against
the UTLA via PERB (Public Employment Relations Board) and strongly
encouraged others to join in and also reminded them (us) that $100 is
required. I remember Dave Peters pulled out a $100 bill on the spot, &
Kennon laughed. Kennon told us we could attend the PERB hearing, but when asked,
didn't know the address . At the time I thought she was speaking of a
legal action at the superior court and suggested it was at 111 N. Hill
(the central L.A Superior Court) and she said, "Yeah, that's it." Was
she being sarcastic or just being agreeable? Because when I went there
on the specified date a week later there was NOTHING re the LAUSD or
UTLA . I finally emailed Dave Peters and he gave me the correct
information, which was the first time I realized this was a PERB
action, not superior court (I myself had a previous PERB action when I
was with my old school district; at that time the main office was on
Wilshire, now they are in Glendale). So I went over to the hearing in Glendale & actually spent several
days sitting in and observing. It was here that I met a number of
other substitutes including John Walsh, Karen Morgan, & Vicky from
Peru, among others. It was also here that on every single occassion
Kennon Raines pretended not to know who I was. Each session she would
come up to me and say, "And who are you?" Maybe she was upset that I
wasn't a paying participant, but I didn't pay because I wasn't an
"affected member" according to the specifics she gave at the
substitute meeting. I was there to observe for my own case (I filed my
own action against LAUSD via PERB in December '10, in part, at the
time, due to what I thought was friendly encouragment by email from
Kennon Raines; it wasn't until later that she started the "Who are
you?" Status degradation routine. And speaking of status degradation, it was at the sub meeting in Nov
'10 when Daryl Bohanon,an African-American male substitute a few years
older than me, approached me in the elevator as I was leaving and we
started talking and he was friendly at first and told me about his
film-making endeavors, etc ...but after I told him I also made little
videos & especially Christian content he began peppering all his
sentences with
"f-ck". It was a strange metamorphis, and by the end of our
conversation he had called me a "Christian geek"
And he said it again when I ran into him at a Christmas social for
subs at the "veggie" restaurant (free for substitutes, paid for by our
dues). Anyways, maybe more about Bohanon later ( I mention it as part
of the status degradation theme, & I feel sorry for any kids in any
classes Bohanon teaches as an elementary sub if he deems them to be
"Christian geeks", or maybe just "white"; perhaps one & the same in
his book). Bohanon by the way mentioned he is originally from Chicago.
Its ironic that in our conversation, I started out by confiding in him
some of my frustration re my experiences recently in the LAUSD schools
as a substitute, thinking he was a "friend" but by the end of the
conversation he had turned against me. Back to my PERB action: I filed this because I thought that I was
getting less assignments as retaliation against my lawsuit (or Writ )
via LAUSD at the time they miscounted my hours a few years prior and
therefore lost my health benefits. It took me several months to get
the miscounted hours properly recorded and my health benefits restored
(the miscount, by the way, was due to a few schools not properly
recording my assignments). Retaliation by an employer for legal action
against them by an employee is prohibited by law as well as the codes
enforced specifically by PERB (but school districts may do it more
often than people realize). And by the way, over the thirteen years I worked as a substitute
teacher, more than once I sent a fax and/or letter to the UTLA,
specifically addressed to president A.J. Duffy, among others, and only
once did they specifically respond and offer assistance, and at no
point did they ever say they couldn't help me because I was not a UTLA
member. This is a very long & complicated story, but later (in January 2011
they said they had no record of me being a "member", only a dues
payer; yet I had filled out the membership form previously and again
in December '10 at Shakeys Pizza at another substitute Christmas
meeting because for some reason Dave Peters handed me another blue
form). Did Dave Peters not turn it in? Or did somebody "lose" it,
conveniently, at my expense ? Also, Dave at the veggie restaurant, along with Virgie from the
Philippines, identified themselves as evangelical Christians. I wasn't
sure if this was sincere or not, but they apparently wanted me to
know. Dave mentioned being a former follower of Bennie Hinn (which is
different in degree to my Christian background in the CRC, Christian
Reformed Church; but I didn't say anything.) Virgie, unlike most
Filipinos I know, was not Catholic, but protestant, and apparently
also works at an insurance office. She, too, apparently thought I was
a new sub and even invited me to come to her church some time. I
mentioned the churches I attend to her, including St. Basil on
Wilshire. I also told her of my involvement in the Philippines in a
summer mission (1992). This is SO complicated to try to un-ravel...but back to the PERB
meetings. For several hearings I sat next to Karen Morgan, and
exchanged emails with her at one point. In one of the emails I sent
following a PERB hearing I gave her a lot of my personal information,
including my experience in Pasadena and some of the legal nonsense I
endured & suffered thru mostly because of Hugh Halford, ALL of which
is done with and my name and record is clear. I don't know what became
of the information I divulged. Whether she used it against me or not I
do not know. I hope not. Also at these PERB hearings I observed attorney Bill Evans leading the
case for Kennon Raines & subs (v UTLA) , & later I would meet Bill at
the Pasadena Library. Anyways, on January 20, 2011 I was informed that
I was being "separated" from employment due to "three ISR's"
(insufficient service reports). At the time I had no awareness of any
ISR's. Later I would discover that one of them had been sent to the
wrong address by Regina Echols at the sub unit, and in none of the
three cases was I given the contractually required pre-requisite
meeting with administrator (& with utla rep present if I requested) .
I contended all three ISR's were illegitimate for lack of due process,
as well as lack of merit. I included a discussion of this in my PERB
complaint, as well as amended complaint. I also discussed the fact that at a December '10 meeting with Regina
Echols (assistant to Marjorie) & Marjorie Josaphat (director of sub
unit who took over after Dale Van Mill moved up) at the substitute
unit at 333 S. Beaudry I found out for the first time that my
seniority was wrongly ranked. I was further down than I should have
been according to the time I was hired. I asked Marjorie to adjust
this and later received a confirmation from Regina saying Marjorie had
approved my request and my seniority was now properly recorded...the
significance being those with more seniority were supposed to get
first assignment opportunities...for the last two years my offered
assignments had dwindled...apparently in part because of this
seniiority misclassification, but, I suspected, perhaps also due to
shenanigans, possibly by Diane Lemus or Irma (both of whom work the
phones & the subfinder every morning for many years). I don't know
either "by sight" & don't know Irma's last name and didn't know
Diane's last name either until recently when I received a written
document from the LAUSD). I say this because I definitely felt some
antagonism coming from Irma, and less from Diane, over time when I
would call the sub unit for various reasons over the past thirteen
years (although I don't remember them during the first few years). After this notification saying my seniority had been adjusted (by the
way, Regina would not have changed it, if it had been her decision),
prior to January 20, suddenly I was getting lots of calls again. But
January 20, after a day at Belmont High, I would not work again as a
substitute for the LAUSD (as of May 2011 I don't have any real hope of
help from PERB, although I do plan to still file v UTLA; but also will
not return to LAUSD without a few written apologies from certain
pertinent people; and also am concentrating on my higher purpose of
promoting the Good News of Jesus Christ for the Kingdom of God &
heaven). But let me cut to the chase: Without further discussion of the
illegitimate ISR's and unwarranted insults, etc. Apparently the REAL
issue is that Diane Lemus considered me to be a threat to her when I
came to the substitute unit in December '10. That particular day began
with me calling the sub unit, first to inquire about assignments (if
you don't get a call from the sub finder by a certain time, you are
allowed to call the sub unit & ask if there was anything "unfilled")
and second to ask about meeting with Regina Echols (Kennon Raines
said, when she was still being friendly, by email, that I should
specifically ask to speak to Regina). I remember I called, or dialed, a few times for each reason (ie first
for assignments, second re Regina). I remember Diane speaking
condescendingly towards me ...at one point she thought I asked the
same question twice and said "You already asked that..." & I hung up
at one point because of the condescension. After thirteen years, she &
Irma still spoke "down" to me and still spoke to me as if they didn't
know me or know of me, as if I was a stranger). I decided to simply drive to the sub unit & personally appear and ask
to speak with Regina. I did this and Irma (whom I identified by sight
for the first time, but probably wouldn't remember what she looks like
if I walked past her on the street) arranged for me to speak with
Regina (whom I had never met) in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I said,
"Where's Diane?" and Irma did not respond. I wanted to personally meet
Diane and try to "break thru the ice" and let her know who I AM
...(but I realize now that neither Diane nor Irma, and perhaps not
Regina either) want to truly KNOW me in a friendly way. They have
politics they are playing for self-serving reasons. Moments later, Regina introduced herself. She was a large
African-American woman and called me "Mr. Coke". We sat down in her
14th floor (?) Office overlooking the south side of downtown Los
Angeles. I began to communicate to her my concern about not getting
adequate assignments. There was no mentioned of Irma or Diane. They
were NOT really on my mind whatsoever apart from when I first arrived.
However, seconds later, Regina called Diane on the phone speaker
asking for my records, or the records of that day's assignments
offered (Regina wanted to verify that I was getting called in order of
my seniority), and Diane's voice came thru loud-&-clear saying she h
would send the papers and then she also added loudly that she had
"called for security." I said to Regina, "Called for security?" & Regina said, "We were a
little concerned...you seemed agitated.." Aha, buzz words: "agitated".
That's a police buzz word for an excuse to use force against a
citizen. The person was "agitated." And by the way, over the thirteen
years I was there, the LAUSD really shifted in style & tone from the
old headquarters to the new skyscraper, and all the security they
added: school police in the lobby and identification check-in, etc.
And sure enough, moments later an Latino security guard appeared &
stood outside the office for the entire conversation. At at one point this security officer even entered in to the office
when Regina asked him to speak for the entire school district to say
there is "no racism" against whites in any LAUSD schools or at the
district office. She asked him this because I contended I had
experienced racism. I wondered what credentials a Latino security
guard had to speak for the entire school district on the issue of
"reverse racism", but Regina apparently thought that the matter was
settled. But by & large the conversation was about my assignments, or lack of,
& it was revealed that my seniority was wrongly ordered. Had the
conversation ended there, however, Regina would not have changed my
seniority because, she said, it was correct due to a brief separation
(for a few months pending an appeal I had with the California Teaching
Commission which was settled in my favor). So I asked to speak to
Marjorie and a few moments later she appeard (I wish I would have
asked to speak to her privately). Marjorie (apparently originally from
Haiti) remembered a video I had sent her (something from my ministry)
and was a friendly face. We discussed the matter again and she said
she would consider it (& later did approve an adjustment of my
seniority). (All of this, by the way, was BEFORE I had filed with PERB
but the notice of seniority adjustment came AFTER I filed with PERB). Reiterating my concern about reverse racism, I mentioned to Regina &
Marjorie that I wished there were some males and/or whites working on
the sub unit (as far as I could tell, there were zero) (and by the
way, if the entire sub unit consisted of white people,
I would wish for a few non-whites). I mentioned some antagonistic
experiences at a few schools and that also given the lack of
assignments "This may be my last year." I had to seriously consider
"retiring" or resigning if I wasn't getting regular work and not just
at the most difficult locations. There was other small chit-chat but that was the extent of it. And I
got up to go & said a few pleasantries, and made my way across the
floor when suddenly Marjorie said loudly, "Do you need a parking
voucher?" I'm not sure why she yelled this, but I told her I was
parked at a failed meter. Perhaps the intent was to signal to
everybody on the floor know that this man in the suit was not an
executive (I.e."nobody special") to pretend to love . I paused momentarily on my way out to speak with the white woman by
the elevator who sits there day after day offering UTLA information. I
asked her if she was a volunteer and she seemed offended. Apparently
not. She gets paid to do it. I thought to myself, some days I wish I
had a regular same thing every day job. A few seconds later the same
Latino security guard appeared, & again seemed to think he had the
right to listen in on our conversation. I mentioned again the
"unmentionable": that I believed there was some anti-white racism in
the LAUSD (or anti-conservative white,
or simply anti-Christian white). The Latino guard once again felt he
had the qualifications to speak for the entire school district and say
this was not possible.
I went down the elevator and left the building without further ado. I recite all this because it was this meeting at the sub unit that
apparentl is the ACTUAL reason they are using as a pretext for
separation (I.e. suggesting that I was a threat to Diane Lemus). To
this day I do not know what Diane looks like. I wouldn't know her if I
saw her on the street and if I did I wouldn't be aggressive towards
her. There's a BIG DIFFERENCE between trying or wanting to let
somebody know you, who you are, versus being aggressive. There's a BIG
DIFFERENCE between assertively trying to reconcile a matter with
somebody or to try to respond assertively to an insult, versus
aggression. Yet some people want to make ANY ASSERTIVE ACTION out to
be an aggressive or potentially aggressive action, thereby adding
insult to injury. There are good people on the street today who are
victims of these types of perpetrators. These perpetrators will begin
with insult or sleight and then when the victim of the insult attempts
to assertively respond to the insult, the perpetrator will cry "foul
!" This is primarly something unscrupulous women might do to men, because
a woman can allege fear towards almost any man for any reason or no
reason at all and the woman will be believed & protected sometimes at
the expense of the man's reputation and without merit.
I say all this because it came to my attention later that somebody had
documented this as an "incident" and it became circulated amongst
people, even as far away as substitutes in general, including Dave
Peters (who responded to me in an email that its apparently about
"something that happened when you visited the sub unit...."). I even
received something in the mail from the LAUSD that documented it as an
"incident" and may have been included in the LAUSD response to PERB. The BIG PROBLEM is that #1, Nothing happened, no threats were made or
intended, and if Diane truly or falsely misperceived my actions as a
potential threat, that's simply her misperception. The LAUSD is NOT a
court of law and has NO AUTHORITY as a court of law to determine a
crime was committed based on one person's biased race-based
misperception. Did the LAUSD ask me for MY account of the incident as
a thirteen year employee ? Why is Diane, et.al's account to be
regarded as gospel truth, and my account NOT even asked for or taken
into consideration? And if there was an actual, true, threat, why
wasn't it reported to the police. Only a police-reported incident
along with charges, and ultimately a determination of guilty by a
judge or jury constitutes a crime. One or more person's testimony
alone, especially race-based biased testimony cannot stand alone as a
"judge, jury, & executioner." And what do you make of ann employer who
only considers the testimony of one employee but not the other? A
little biased? And what do you make of anybody who listens to one
testimony without considering the other? Truth is, nothing "happened" at the sub unit that morning other than
perhaps a concoction by Diane et.al. But a concoction is simply a
concoction. I've known all along that they didn't like me for possibly
racial reasons alone, but that's NOT an allowed reason to exclude me
or marginalize me as a qualified teacher for the public sector. In fact, if something HAD happened why wasn't I arrested or detained
by the security guard? Why was my request to Marjorie Josaphat for
seniority adjustment subsequently granted? Up until they found out I
had filed with PERB everything returned somewhat to normal. It was the
complaint with PERB that suddenly triggered a response and this added
"incident" report. Thus, it was retaliation. And of course, a threat
or potential threat of violence is really the ultimate death blow to a
person's career as a professional. They knew that if they could convince others that I was being
aggressive, especially towards a woman, it would quiet any uproar or
support I might get from others. Well, I'm here to tell you that they
created FICTION. I was NOT a physical threat, nor had any threatening
intentions that morning, nor prior, nor later, nor now. I did feel
irritated by the way I was mistreated from time to time by Diane
and/or Irma at the sub unit , just as I am irritated by waiting in
line too long at the bank, or being on hold too long when I call
T-mobile (most recently I was on hold for over 39
minutes), or being in a traffic jam ( a daily occurrence). Yet I have
never gone on a violent spree because of any of these daily
irritations. I do voice complaints assertively in writing or to a
supervisor from time-to-time. That's it. Southern California loves the "imagination" and drama and fiction...it
makes good movies and stories, but sometimes you have to be able to
separate fact from fiction and believe the fact. If you want to
believe negative fiction for self-serving reasons, that's YOU being
dishonest to yourself and others. How does the UTLA fit innto my conspiracy theory? More to come. Stay tuned-- Vander
