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Reports detail cultures of racism, bullying at 2 Riverside County departments
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The Riverside County Waste Management Department covers a landfill. A grand jury report describes in-fighting between two Riverside agencies – including one department where bosses have allegedly targeted black workers with racial slurs.
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A grand jury report describes a hostile work environment inside a pair of Riverside County agencies – including the Waste Management Department where bosses have allegedly targeted black workers with racial slurs.
One former African American employee says a supervisor called him the "n-word" and ordered him to take meal breaks in a trailer allegedly “crawling with rats, cats…and insects.” Other workers singled out a boss for his hostility towards black workers.
A second grand jury report details a pattern of “pervasive” bullying and intimidation inside a division of county human resources.
The report alleges that supervisors unfairly target one group of workers with harsh performance reviews, and purposely excludes documentation supporting their good work. Employees have lodged more than a dozen complaints against the department in recent years.
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The grand jury recommends corrective actions including the establishment of a county wide anti-bullying policy. Riverside County officials say they're reviewing the reports and will submit a formal response by September.
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