@josephmurphy427 ♬ original sound - M Joseph Murphy (he/him)
While trying to report allegations of harassment against a manager, I uncovered a pattern with troubling optics. I'll say no more for now. You see the emails yourself and decide.
Monday, March 20, 2023
IS THE ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE SUPPRESSING REPORTS OF ANTIBLACK RACISM? EMAIL THREAD
Fired for Speaking Out - My Experience With Anti Black Racism Working for the Province of Ontario
SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS
@josephmurphy427 Why I spoke out and how the government is suppressing reports. Quick summary of accusations. #blm #racism #fordnation #opseu #ontario #canada #fyp ♬ SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS - IS THE NTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE SUPPRESSING REPORTS OF ANTI BLACK RACISM?
The last few years have been traumatic. I joined the Ontario Public Service (OPS) in 2015. I left a ten-year career teaching college courses in Business and Accounting because I wanted something more stable. Something I could retire from.
Until recently, I was a partner in a small publishing firm, Ellysian Press. (NOTE: the remaining partners of Ellysian Press have no additional information on this topic. Please respect their privacy.) It was a passion but I could not support myself and my (then) husband. I needed a day job. Despite what the movies would have you believe, there's not a ton of money in publishing. Especially the smaller presses.
The OPS was appealing for me because it offered a unionized environment and, since it was a government agency, I was not concerned about racism or homophobia. I believed working for the government was the safest place to be.
In my case, I was wrong.
LINKS:
OPS Launched 3rd Party Review of Inclusive Workplace Policies and Programs
DO OTHER PEOPLE DETERMINE WHO YOU ARE?
Local manager saw me as an "angry black man", a talented and smart young man with a tendency to lash out viciously when provoked. Prior to the OPS, I worked for Everest College where, among other things, I was chosen by leadership to facilitate courses for other instructors on Emotional Intelligence. I was awarded the Parthenon Award for the 2012-2013 school year, an award given to the instructor who had the most impact on his students.
How did one group of people believe I was a superstar while another believed I was a ticking time bomb? One word: expectations. In communication studies, there is an understanding that other elements (e.g., body language, location, internal bias, etc.) can create barriers to accurate communication.
ALIEN BRAIN FOG
I've dealt with Long Covid since January 2021. For more than a year and a half I had severe memory problems. I forgot key elements of my past which made me wonder: why was I still attached to those memories in the first place. And how were those memories affecting who I believed I was. Coupled with the racist tropes in the work place, the constant gaslighting, and the efforts to suppress the harassment, it was enough for a experience Ego Death.
It was time for me to rediscover who I was. And who gets to define what I am.
ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE WEAPONIZED THE POLICE - CHANGE IN STRATEGY
I had hoped to have Alien Brain Fog ready for by September. Actions taken by the employer after they terminated me, however, has convinced me doing so could put my life and freedom in jeopardy.
I know. Dramatic. But here me out.
In December, I attended a allegations meeting. The invite to the meeting was sent to an email address I hadn't used in 5 years. Neither had the union forwarded a copy to my correct email. At the sight of one of my harassers, I had an emotional moment. The meeting was ended. A follow up meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes later. I was emotionally unprepared to attend it and asked if the union could go without me or reschedule. Instead no follow up meeting was held and a summary decision was made to fire me. Then the police were sent to my house with management telling my union representative they were concerned I was a violent risk threat. A terrorist. The message to police, however, was a simple wellness check. Because I could not attend a meeting.
The latest attack, however, has shown me I need to change strategies. I sent an emotional plea to leadership (see email here) pleading with them to stop the machinery and look at what they were doing. I appealed to their humanity and asked what their family and friends would think of their behaviour. In response, they sent the following letter:
The implication is clear. They are implying I am a pedophile stalking teenage girls on the internet and sharing inappropriate videos. This ridiculous and libelous.
I have decided to recut and rework my documentary to make it more lighthearted and humorous. This will take longer but it is clear the OPS current strategy is heading to a dark place. So I'll take the high road.
VIDEO PROOF OF GASLIGHTING
@josephmurphy427 Hidden video of Ontario government officials exposes efforts to suppress reports of anti black racism. #fyp #blm #ontariocanada #fordnation #racism #politicstiktok #hiddencamera #cbcnews #race #gotcha ♬ original sound - M Joseph Murphy (he/him)
Leadership was made aware multiple times I was preparing a documentary to expose what the optics of their current practices.
Link to emails: EMAIL TREAD WHOSE OPTICS SUGGEST REPORTS NOT BEING SUPPRESSED
I expected a court injunction in May 2022. They were aware I was a partner in a media company and a published author. They had every expectation that I could make the information public.
I expected a manager to tell me not to release the information. Instead, they told me to go ahead. Many times.
Of course no one would believe they would do that. It's crazy.
But I have the video to prove it.
I recorded a zoom meeting during which I brought my concerns to leadership. There was never an intention to share these videos. I simply needed verification because my brain no longer functioned the way it used to. And, to be clear OPS Leadership has been aware of their existence for nearly a year.
I am beyond grateful I recorded that meeting. Otherwise, I firmly believe no one would believe me. I'm not sure I would have believed it myself. Without that video, I would always wonder if I had misinterpreted events. I would always have wondered if I was the problem after all.
And that made me mad. Because all I could think about was how often they had done this?
They knew I was a writer, a partner in a publishing company, a former college instructor, a union steward, one of the founders of Windsor's first gay pride (1992). They knew I recorded meetings to help with my brain fog and they STILL tried to trick me?
What are they doing to other people?
I realized that my moral and civil obligation was to speak up. So I did.
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