Former Black Employee Says the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation Is Racist to Its Core

Nov. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Anthony C. Quarless says working at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was no bed of roses.  

Quarless, who is African American, said that he started working at the BBG in June 1982, and was promoted in April 2000 to director of security.  When Quarless became the director of security, he endured racially offensive conduct towards him from Caucasian executive staff as well as other employees because he challenged the racially oppressive work atmosphere for him and other members of the Security Department.  

The lawsuit alleges that he received far less pay and benefits than his Caucasian Male predecessors’, other Caucasian directors and he did not receive regular pay increases.  

Quarless says that he and other African-Americans employees were unfairly disciplined, threatened, received far less pay and benefits and their complaints of discrimination in the workplace were never seriously investigated.    

Sanders says that the racial animus towards him intensified in or around October 2007, when Quarless complained on behalf of the security officers noticing that they were working 8.5 hours a day in violation of the union contract.  The Security Department comprised entirely of minorities security officers, were working more than the other employees and they were not receiving their overtime pay or parts of certain holiday pay.  

The lawsuit alleges that BBGC, Patrick Cullina and Rochelle Cabiness did not want the security officers to know that the union contract was violated.

The lawsuit alleges that once he complained to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission all of the data on his company computer was removed related to his complaints of racial discrimination.  Shortly thereafter, Quarless was terminated on July 13, 2010.  

Sanders says that the executive staff routinely violated federal, state, and local laws enacted to protect an individual’s Civil Rights by failing to take appropriate action to discipline offending employees or stop further retaliatory and discriminatory behavior from occurring in the workplace.  

Eric Sanders, Esq., of The Sanders Firm, P.C., filed the lawsuit on November 21, 2011.  The name of the case is: Anthony C. Quarless v. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Corporation, et al., Docket No.: 11 cv 5684, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  

The Sanders Firm, P.C., is a nationally recognized law firm serving the Greater New York City Area focused on cases involving Civil Rights, civil service law and immigration rights.  Visit: http://www.thesandersfirmpc.com