ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Community leaders and residents plan to protest at noon Monday at Allentown City Hall, where an employee reported finding a noose on her desk last week.
The demonstration is scheduled at the city’s headquarters at 435 Hamilton St., where speakers are to present “a list of demands” to city officials, according to a press release.
LaTarsha Brown, who is Black, found the noose on her computer Friday morning in Allentown’s Department of Community and Economic Development, according to City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach.
Police officials on Friday confirmed an investigation into what they called “a small item resembling a noose.”
Gerlach, who is expected to participate in Monday’s protest, demanded a “quick investigation” into the noose, highlighting City Hall’s many cameras and secured access to the DCED office.
An Allentown employee alleges a City Council member created a “racially hostile environment” and officials “did shamefully little” to protect her.Federal lawsuit
The councilwoman said the “hate crime” happened a day after Brown requested mediation to resolve her complaints against another employee in the city’s DCED office.
Brown, who also serves as an elected Allentown School Board member, has lodged complaints about racism and workplace discrimination with the city’s Human Resources Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Gerlach said.
The city was sued in federal court in November by an employee who alleges a City Council member created a “racially hostile environment” and officials, including Mayor Matt Tuerk and previous city chiefs, “did shamefully little” to protect her.
Deputy City Clerk Tawanna Whitehead labeled Councilwoman Candida Affa an “unashamed bigot” in that lawsuit, which seeks a jury trial.
