More stuff has come to light which seems to me to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with it. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."
This happened at Duke University in North Carolina. I think it is a clear case for both Megaera and Tisiphone, but Alecto, you might as well go along for the ride. There is some scenic and architectural beauty at Duke; in fact, all over North Carolina.
Yes, this story is about a year and a half old. It has risen to the surface because The Chronicle, the independent daily at Duke University (that's right, a school paper, or sort of) made the story Part 1 of an investigative report they are doing on parking. Well, on the Parking and Trasportation Services Department at Duke. Including the Department's "culture," which will be Part 2.
On August 30, 2014, Shelvia Underwood, an employee of a private contractor Duke uses for managing traffic for special occasions (like football games), stopped a silver Porsche at a traffic circle in order to finish assisting a pedestrian. She turned in order to address him, and found that the Porsche had hit her. Her hands were on the hood, and then she was on the ground.
When she told him the road he wanted to take was closed unless he had a parking pass, he banged on the steering wheel and said, "This road is not closed!" Then he held up a parking pass – two, actually – so she let him through. Whereupon he was heard to say "dumb, dumb, stupid n-word." (By Underwood. And by a witness.)
Did I mention this driver, Tallman Trask, Executive Vice President of the University for finances and administration, had a reputation for not keeping his parking pass(es) visible, and that the manager of Special Event Parking had told employees to look out for him for just that reason?
One may be reminded at this point about the joke regarding the difference between a Porsche and a porcupine. (Porcupines have their pricks on the outside. H/T to Raw Story commenter CripesAlmighty)
Two days after the incident, Underwood went to the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center because she was having pain in her arm She was diagnosed with a muscle contusion and a possible fractured elbow. She intended to file a police report, but her supervisor promised to file it for her (and the following day advised her she would have to file it herself.) Under pressure from her employer (not just her supervisor, but the owner spoke with her) and fearful of losing her job, she agreed not to proceed further beyond the report she had made, provided she received a sincere apology. That was the wording of the agreement – "a sincere apology."
Sixteen days later, Sept. 20, 2014, three weeks after the initial incident, Underwood was working again at her usual post before the Duke-Tulane football game when she received the apology she had requested from Trask.
“At the same location, a tall guy comes up behind me and says, ‘Um, I don’t know exactly what happened out here, but whatever, here you go.’ And he hands me a card,” Underwood alleged.
Adkins later identified the man as Vice President for Administration Kyle Cavanaugh.
“Are you kidding me?” Underwood said. “I wanted a sincere apology, and this isn’t even close to it.”
Cavanaugh did not reply to multiple requests for comment about his alleged role in delivering Trask’s note to Underwood.
Since receiving the apology note from Trask, who oversees Cavanaugh and PTS, Underwood has been working to take legal action against Trask.
So – What do you think? Was that a "sincere apology"? Leaving out the cowardice of the method of delivery?
Raw Story picked this up from Duke, AlterNet picked it up from Raw Story, and you may also have seen it elsewhere. But it was Duke that had the details and the pictures. Have fun in North Carolina, ladies. If you see Dr. Barber, give him my regards (and treat him well.)
Two other very short takes, one regarding another black woman who has died in the custody of police (and on this one, so much is up in the air that it is not a confirmed case for the Furies. But you all know how I get when a person of color encounters police and then dies.) This one probably requires the comments to get a grasp of, since it appears to relate to natural marijuana which is very safe, vis-a-vis a so-called "synthetic marijuana," which is neither marijuana nor safe.
The second you may already have seen, perhaps even with some glee. I suspect this legislator's own party won't need the Furies to deal with him – the guy who was arrested and charged with trying to lure a 14-year-old girl for sex while armed, and also for dealing drugs. A Republican of course, in New Hampshire of all places, with a modified Martin Shkreli smile. The punch line is that before this happened he sat, not just in the state House, but in its Committee on Children and Family Law, which deals with the legal rights and protections of families and children. Seriously.
The Furies and I will be back.
9 Responses to “Everyday Erinyes”
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Cross posted to Care2 at http://www.care2.com/news/member/101612212/3961437
This happened in North Carolina: Yes, indeed, it was a pathetic response for an apology from him. He also used a slur! towards her. I think she should have filed a police report, as she was injured (through no fault of her own), and in pain. Tallman Trask should be reprimanded, and put on notice, as he's probably still acting this way. He sounds like he could use a consultation from Megaera, if she's not busy…
*While I lived in NC, (early 90's), I was age discriminated for employment, and a dear friend of mine was discriminated in entering a local restaurant. Prejudice is alive and well in the South. Still.
#2. Ms. Cummings family (and many others) deserve answers to the treatment of their daughter, and hold the people in charge responsible for wrongdoing. These are tragedies that are happening all over now. I also think that anyone who distributes K2, should be prosecuted, to the full extent of the law. imo.
Rep. Kyle Tasker (R) is one sick dude. Needs to go away for a long, long time. Let the inmates 'counsel' him.
Thank you, Joanne for this post.
1. Ah, the privileged. They shouldn't be made to use parking passes in the first place, they should have private parking spaces for their porches, everywhere. And every one should know who they are, that they are privileged and should get out of the way when they see them coming. It was Ms. Underwood's own fault she was knocked over: if she had known he was Tallman Trask III, she wouldn't have had to stop him and nothing would have happened. So, yeah she was a "dumb, dumb, stupid n-word.", wasn't she. Apologize to the underprivileged, face to face? That's not what the Trasks, not even the 3rd, do.
2. From the article it seems that India Cummings should not have been put in jail, but in a psychiatric ward, because she was delirious on K2. Another preventable death.
3. Again: the privileged. They think that they're above the law when they've had had a handful of misguided voters to get them into public office. Either parties do not screen the people who are candidates for a post or people like Tasker restrain themselves until they are in the right place from which to abuse their power. Send the furies after Tasker, Joanne. I've little reason to think that the GOP will deal with him in an appropriate manner. They didn't when he mocked sexual assault survivors on Facebook, nor reacted when he posted the suggestive Drumpf picture. This picture and Drumpf's statement that he'd like to date this daughter deserves some scrutiny too, by the way.
Duke basketball fans are reputed to celebrate player aggression–is that a campus-wide culture administrators willfully foster?
Clearly some elements show inappropriate handling by more than one part of the criminal justice system.
I read where he had previously dropped a concealed weapon he was carrying on the floor of the legislature where it was not legal to have.
Great candidates.
The apology was as sincere as Republican concern for the poor.
Just caught my eye, but any idea why Trask refers to the Duke v Tulane game as the "Elan game" in his handwritten note?
Seems wierd to me – but maybe not out of character.
Actually both are correct – the "Elon game" (his handwriting makes it look like "Elan" but it was "Elon") was when the incident happened. The "Duke game," some weeks later, was when the "apology" was delivered. I guess he figured it wasn't worth his trouble to look up the contractor (or ask his direct report for the contractor's name/address) to deliver it – he just waited till she would be working again and sent his flunky over.
I'm sorry, he had me confused – it was the Tulane game that was the second game, D'oh. But there were two games in the story.
Since I have a poor opinion of Duke to begin with, my take on this is hardly unbiased. That said, the woman should have received much more than a sincere apology. Criminal charges should have been filed. They would have if it had been someone with less privelege than Trask.
I read the Buffalo report on India Cummings, too. There is too much evidence of neglect or abuse by their facility for this not to be investigated.
Kyle Tasker is obviously a degenerate who should never have had the job to begin with, and certainly had no business ruling on cases involving children. It makes me wonder how many more of them are there who are using their political office to hide their crimes.