A 23-year-old brotha in a New York City suburb just wanted to clock into work and earn a living. Instead, he was greeted with racial harassment and, most recently, a noose hanging from his workspace.
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The incident happened on April 20 at Cooper Power & Lighting Corp in Farmingdale, N.Y., in Suffolk County, Long Island. Kyrin Taylor has been working at the local business since December. The noose was hanging clear as dayโand, no, you cannot mistake it for anything other than a noose, in case anyone wants to explain it away as an accident.
Fearing for his personal safety, Taylor called the police and his union, IBEW Local 25, to inform it of the situation, according to his lawyer, Frederick Brewington.
โSeeing this took my breath away and I really did not know what to do or what to think,โ Taylor said in a statement, according to CNN.
Taylor and Brewington said Taylorโs boss scolded him for calling the cops.
This isnโt the first time Taylor has experienced harassment at his job.
โI am the only African-American working for [Cooper Power and Lighting] and this was not the first time I was treated with disrespect,โ he said. โI have been targeted by this act of pure hate and I just donโt know what to think. When will people stop thinking it is alright to terrorize Black people?โ
CNN tried to get comment from Cooper Power and Lighting, but no one responded.
The good news is that Taylorโs union got him a new job, which he starts Monday.
Brewington said his client is still reeling over what happened and is seeking mental health services to deal with it.
โHeโs highly upset,โ Brewington said of Taylor. โHe said to me that besides being disgusted, I am afraid. And I said, โYou canโt live in fear, but being afraid is not unhealthy.โโ
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