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KPFA Workers File Complaints of Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Threats, Retaliation
Today workers at KPFA are contacting the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the National Labor Relations Board to file complaints against the station's General Manager, Roy Campanella II, for sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, threatened violence, repeated violation of workers' right to organize, and retaliation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, August 11, 2005
KPFA Workers File Complaints of Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Threats, Retaliation
BERKELEY, CA – Today workers at KPFA are contacting the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the National Labor Relations Board to file complaints against the station's General Manager, Roy Campanella II, for sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, threatened violence, repeated violation of workers' right to organize, and retaliation.
Eight KPFA women are filing with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) to protest sexual harassment by Campanella, as well as a persistent pattern of discrimination based on gender, and the creation of a hostile workplace for women at the station. Those who turned down his sexual advances have been retaliated against through public belittlement, threats to cut funding, criticism of their work to their supervisors, slander, and threats of termination. Sexual harassment is illegal under state and federal law.
"We’ve exhausted all channels within the station and have been left with no alternative but to go to the appropriate state agencies. We care deeply about the well-being of KPFA, but the law guarantees us a safe, harassment-free workplace and neither KPFA nor Pacifica is acting to protect the workers at the station. It’s ironic, given KPFA's commitment to social justice," said union steward Lisa Ballard. Over 75 KPFA workers have signed a statement that they have no confidence in the Campanella's ability to manage the station.
"The General Manager started to engage in unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with me almost as soon as he began his employment," said senior manager Lemlem Rijio. "He asked me inappropriate questions, made suggestive and personal remarks, and forced me to hold private meetings with him, despite my objections, making me extremely uncomfortable. Once I made it clear that I was not going to flirt, laugh at dirty jokes, or be intimidated, the GM started to retaliate against me daily--with threats of termination, harassment, slander, as well as hostile and discriminatory treatment."
KPFA Training Co-Director Rain Geesler said that Campanella asked her out within weeks of his being hired last November. When she turned him down and complained about it to a coworker he started treating her in an "unprofessional, intimidating and aggressive manner." "Ever since that incident, the interactions with the general manager have been highly stressful, and even retaliatory," she said.
"I was asked out three times by Roy Campanella, despite my repeated refusals," said another woman worker who is filing with the DFEH. "The first time he asked me to dinner he was told that it was unethical behavior. The third time, I told him that it was inappropriate because he is a manager and I am his subordinate. His response was to ask if there was a way around that fact."
Additionally, the employee's union is filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on behalf of seven male and female staff members for Campanella's violation of labor law and the contract between KPFA management and Communications Workers of America Local 9415. Fourteen weeks ago, on May 5th, Campanella threatened Weyland Southon, Executive Producer of Hard Knock Radio, with violence, and followed him out to the sidewalk to fight. The union demanded at the time that KPFA and its parent organization, Pacifica, provide the staff at the station with a safe work environment. Despite this, both Pacifica and KPFA's Local Station Board have failed to take action, and have dragged out deliberations about the General Manager's misdeeds over the past three and a half months.
The union is also calling on the NLRB to investigate Campanella's multiple violations of KPFA workers' right to associate freely and to organize. "When women workers met to discuss the pattern of gender-based discrimination and harassment at the station, the general manager attempted to intimidate workers, including me, into revealing who was present at those meetings," said shop steward Sasha Lilley. In one instance, Campanella tried to keep a union steward from reporting to Pacifica that he had threatened a worker with violence.
KPFA is the oldest listener-supported radio station in the United States. For more information go to http://www.kpfaworker.org
For more information:
http://www.kpfaworker.org
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Any chance this means pacifica won't hire another Hollywood TV producer..?
For more information:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132095/
The Same clique that forced out Gus Newport now want Campanella's ass . Let's see he ( Roy Campanella ) ''threatened with violence '' Waylon Suthern of ''Hard Knocks '' a guy 30 years his junior , by asking him to step outside after Suthern cussed him out loudly in public . Several women staffers (who all just coincidently helped throw Gus Newport out ) felt ''sexually harassed '' by Roy Campanella asking them to go to a movie , though none were fired, suspended, or demoted (and at least one was PROMOTED ! ) for saying no . Many other staffers think the real reason for the campaign is that Roy , like Gus before him, wanted to shake things up at KPFA in a postive , progressive manner and that a small clique and their junior partners want things to remain the same . Who do they want in charge ? Rumor has it that their ''candidate '' is Amelia Gonzales , former head of the Apprentice program .Some fear that if that were to happen she would target radical programs like Flashpoint and Guns and Butter(both of which she has expressed hostllity towards ) . Matters may come to a head this sunday when the station board votes whether or not to fire Roy Campanella . Stay Tuned .
The following is from an email by Weyland Southon of Hard Knock Radio, one of the more conservative (i.e., liberal) programmers on KPFA. It indicates something about a possible motive for the attacks on Roy.
the protection of roy has a lot to do with the protection of dennis and the strengthening of the more "radical" faction of kpfa's entrenched powers. without roy in power, dennis is toast, along with his entire machinery. there is also something else going on here that i can't quite put my finger on, but it reeks of a takeover.Roy's hiring as GM was probably more the work of the liberal, less radical faction of the Local Station Board -- the faction supported by most of the entrenched staff -- than of the more radical People's Radio faction. If there's any power play going on here, it's by the conservative elements of the station, including most of the paid staff, not the real or alleged radicals on the LSB.
And just who died and made Aarons arbiter of all things radical. This cat's got delusions of grandeur that make Napolean look humble.
After talking to a few friends and family we decided to show up at 10-30 a.m. Sunday at the Freight and Salvage club, 1111 Addiston /San Pablo in Berkeley to talk to and lobby our governing board . The meeting itself is closed (and that occurs far too often , more on that some other time ) but we can express our opposition to Roy Campanella being fired to the members as they enter the building . I imagine there will be some sort of demonstration by the Kpfaworker and the Hard Knocks people calling for Roy's firing but i suggest we try to ignore them as much as possible and concentrate on our representatives . See you this Sunday !
Or you could let the issue play itself out and keep out of workplace personnel matters that don't concern you.
I have to agree with Skeptical Listener & Aaron
Roy is caught in a very insidious station power struggle between those who want the station (& network) democratic, & those who don't. (Democratic as mandated by the settlement agreement made when the listeners & some staff snatched KPFA & the Pacifica network back from the jaws of the corporate-minded board (which was NPR-izing the stations & planning to sell some of them). (This is still going on, by the way.)
Other interests seem to be involved here, such as the militant feminists, black power advocates, youth radio, & of course the "entrenched staff".
The sexual harassment issue is a very clever red herring, because it is unassailable for most progressives.
The ultimate objective, however, is to remove "radicals" from KPFA.
The "left"? - well, "progressives" & the disadvantaged attacking each other -- this can only work towards discrediting the progressive movement among potential allies, losing our most progressive voices, the dedication to truth by the station, & ultimately the station & network itself -- through ignorance, manipulation, infiltration,& the crabs in the barrel attacking each other instead of breaking the barrel.
Some of the other Pacifica stations & the Pacfica network itself have already had their programming degraded, e.g. KPFT & WBAI - their listener support reduced to the point where BAI is insolvent, & a vicious & violent working environment for staff, volunteers, & governing committees.
Check out these posts from the WBAI listener forum:
In Response To: Where is Robert Knight?! (Uncle They Want You to Forget)
He is probably consorting with his european friends and mentors, just as he always has. But they can't help him. He is really off the air and he is not coming back. Indra was made to understand the full situation from both Rojas and Bernard, and she is on board. This is not like 2001. There will be no triumphant return of the jews' favorite boy.
n Response To: Oh, he'll be back. Don't doubt it for a minute. (Polish Plumber)
That you, an admitted Slav, should lecture a Black Man about the meaning of words, is ridiculous. Your ancestors were living in caves and practising cannibalism when my ancestors were developing advanced mathematics, lingustics, and medicine (as in the case of the great African scientist Kotub). And your blood line since ancient times has been irredeemably corrupted by jews.
In any event, you are right about the cleaning of the crap from WBAI. Crap like Null, Knight, DiRienzo, soon to be followed by the admitted sexual inverts, R Paul Martin and "uncle" Sidney. We are becoming a Black station based on traditional African values and belief systems.
Roy is caught in a very insidious station power struggle between those who want the station (& network) democratic, & those who don't. (Democratic as mandated by the settlement agreement made when the listeners & some staff snatched KPFA & the Pacifica network back from the jaws of the corporate-minded board (which was NPR-izing the stations & planning to sell some of them). (This is still going on, by the way.)
Other interests seem to be involved here, such as the militant feminists, black power advocates, youth radio, & of course the "entrenched staff".
The sexual harassment issue is a very clever red herring, because it is unassailable for most progressives.
The ultimate objective, however, is to remove "radicals" from KPFA.
The "left"? - well, "progressives" & the disadvantaged attacking each other -- this can only work towards discrediting the progressive movement among potential allies, losing our most progressive voices, the dedication to truth by the station, & ultimately the station & network itself -- through ignorance, manipulation, infiltration,& the crabs in the barrel attacking each other instead of breaking the barrel.
Some of the other Pacifica stations & the Pacfica network itself have already had their programming degraded, e.g. KPFT & WBAI - their listener support reduced to the point where BAI is insolvent, & a vicious & violent working environment for staff, volunteers, & governing committees.
Check out these posts from the WBAI listener forum:
In Response To: Where is Robert Knight?! (Uncle They Want You to Forget)
He is probably consorting with his european friends and mentors, just as he always has. But they can't help him. He is really off the air and he is not coming back. Indra was made to understand the full situation from both Rojas and Bernard, and she is on board. This is not like 2001. There will be no triumphant return of the jews' favorite boy.
n Response To: Oh, he'll be back. Don't doubt it for a minute. (Polish Plumber)
That you, an admitted Slav, should lecture a Black Man about the meaning of words, is ridiculous. Your ancestors were living in caves and practising cannibalism when my ancestors were developing advanced mathematics, lingustics, and medicine (as in the case of the great African scientist Kotub). And your blood line since ancient times has been irredeemably corrupted by jews.
In any event, you are right about the cleaning of the crap from WBAI. Crap like Null, Knight, DiRienzo, soon to be followed by the admitted sexual inverts, R Paul Martin and "uncle" Sidney. We are becoming a Black station based on traditional African values and belief systems.
"That you, an admitted Slav, should lecture a Black Man about the meaning of words, is ridiculous. Your ancestors were living in caves and practising cannibalism when my ancestors were developing advanced mathematics, lingustics, and medicine (as in the case of the great African scientist Kotub). And your blood line since ancient times has been irredeemably corrupted by jews."
hello people don't miss out on racist and ethic slurs. Be highly suspicious of anything that people like this advocate. Kpfa should be reshaped into a collective run by the workers, not management or an out of touch 50+ board.
hello people don't miss out on racist and ethic slurs. Be highly suspicious of anything that people like this advocate. Kpfa should be reshaped into a collective run by the workers, not management or an out of touch 50+ board.
Anyone else notice that all these comments are by men, and they are all aimed at undermining the voices of women workers? Just go out for a movie or dinner with your boss, it is no big deal. right?
Valerie Solonus was right.
Valerie Solonus was right.
To Men Telling Women:
I am Unite&Win and I AM female & a feminist.
Read my Conquer & Divide comment above.
I am a feminist but I see more & more that charges
of sexual harrassment & discrimination are used as
a tool to "get" ones adversaries - so I'm increasingly
sceptical about this.
To Petey Wheatstraw:
This is not a just a workplace matter - it effects the entire governance of
KPFA. This station is supposed to be democratically run.The listeners are the ones most affected, & it's us who are the guardians of the station as a community resource. This is going to affect programming as well.
(I forgot to mention 'labor" as another "single issue" being used divisively.)
To the "racism" commenters:
Did you notice the context of these racist remarks?
They were from a segment of the black nationalists attempting somewhat successfully to dominate WBAI (in contradiction to Pacifica's mission to represent the diversity of its community.) - a lesson to us as to what can happen when one-issue sectors of the community are allowed to control our stations/network.
I am Unite&Win and I AM female & a feminist.
Read my Conquer & Divide comment above.
I am a feminist but I see more & more that charges
of sexual harrassment & discrimination are used as
a tool to "get" ones adversaries - so I'm increasingly
sceptical about this.
To Petey Wheatstraw:
This is not a just a workplace matter - it effects the entire governance of
KPFA. This station is supposed to be democratically run.The listeners are the ones most affected, & it's us who are the guardians of the station as a community resource. This is going to affect programming as well.
(I forgot to mention 'labor" as another "single issue" being used divisively.)
To the "racism" commenters:
Did you notice the context of these racist remarks?
They were from a segment of the black nationalists attempting somewhat successfully to dominate WBAI (in contradiction to Pacifica's mission to represent the diversity of its community.) - a lesson to us as to what can happen when one-issue sectors of the community are allowed to control our stations/network.
Oh & I forgot to mention "agism" -
To "Slavs", who said
"hello people don't miss out on racist and ethic slurs. Be highly suspicious of anything that people like this advocate. Kpfa should be reshaped into a collective run by the workers, not management or an out of touch 50+ board."
The LSB - Local Station Board IS the democratically elected representaive of staff & liisteners (although many listener reps come down on the staff side) - the "workers" are frequently dominated by the "entrenched staff" who have defacto power & won't share it - & the "50+ LSB members -
an agist point of view - does include station elders who after all have been
defenders of this people's radio station all these years & have a committment to & an understanding of station governance & do want others to have a voice.
a
To "Slavs", who said
"hello people don't miss out on racist and ethic slurs. Be highly suspicious of anything that people like this advocate. Kpfa should be reshaped into a collective run by the workers, not management or an out of touch 50+ board."
The LSB - Local Station Board IS the democratically elected representaive of staff & liisteners (although many listener reps come down on the staff side) - the "workers" are frequently dominated by the "entrenched staff" who have defacto power & won't share it - & the "50+ LSB members -
an agist point of view - does include station elders who after all have been
defenders of this people's radio station all these years & have a committment to & an understanding of station governance & do want others to have a voice.
a
Damn, y'all are crazy on here.
this is about supporting the people that are being oppressed. regardless if they are making true alegation or not. if they are supported and allowed the space to speak their truth, and Roy is allowed the space to speak his truth. then we can reach an understanding. not by decieding what "side" we are on, whether it is "radical" (of course if you consider Dennis B. "radical" then i laugh in your face, unless you consider supporting patriarchy radical since he is being sued by 2 women for his sexual harassment, and, regardless of this lawsuit, his behavior on air during pledge drive is so patriarchical and insulting, not a radical way of being. what is "radical" about screaming and yelling (i.e. using guilt) at people to pledge! please, take a monet and actually analyze. if you want radicals, they have to live it moment to moment) or if it is "liberal". just an interesting point, all the people you are putting the "liberal" categrory are people of color and women, and the people you are identifing as "radical" is in general made up of men with some men of color (wow, i am in shock). just look into this, who is Dennis B., the people on Guns and Butter, the radio for all group? get yourself informed, if they are "radical" they would listen to all and that is not what i see this group doing!
i am deeply saddened by reading these comments, and once again i realize that people are not truly "radical" just reactionary (defination of reactionary - react to things, anger is the usual place to go for these people, as our society in general handles all things,; radical - someone who breaks free of what is the norm, if anger and violence are the norm, then what is a radical? an angry, violent anachrist or a mother taking a month off of her job to camp outside of Bushs ranch and ask for meeting with him? which one will truly change the US by getting the US in touch with there hearts?)
this is about supporting the people that are being oppressed. regardless if they are making true alegation or not. if they are supported and allowed the space to speak their truth, and Roy is allowed the space to speak his truth. then we can reach an understanding. not by decieding what "side" we are on, whether it is "radical" (of course if you consider Dennis B. "radical" then i laugh in your face, unless you consider supporting patriarchy radical since he is being sued by 2 women for his sexual harassment, and, regardless of this lawsuit, his behavior on air during pledge drive is so patriarchical and insulting, not a radical way of being. what is "radical" about screaming and yelling (i.e. using guilt) at people to pledge! please, take a monet and actually analyze. if you want radicals, they have to live it moment to moment) or if it is "liberal". just an interesting point, all the people you are putting the "liberal" categrory are people of color and women, and the people you are identifing as "radical" is in general made up of men with some men of color (wow, i am in shock). just look into this, who is Dennis B., the people on Guns and Butter, the radio for all group? get yourself informed, if they are "radical" they would listen to all and that is not what i see this group doing!
i am deeply saddened by reading these comments, and once again i realize that people are not truly "radical" just reactionary (defination of reactionary - react to things, anger is the usual place to go for these people, as our society in general handles all things,; radical - someone who breaks free of what is the norm, if anger and violence are the norm, then what is a radical? an angry, violent anachrist or a mother taking a month off of her job to camp outside of Bushs ranch and ask for meeting with him? which one will truly change the US by getting the US in touch with there hearts?)
What that other person said....but seriously kpfa is so caught up in it's history and keeping the boomers happy that the usefulness of the station as an outreach tool is definately in doubt. Do "normal" non activist people listen to KPFA? I think the jury is out on that but the work of FSRN and Hardknock radio are some of the few bright primetime spots that could actually mean something to people outside of the community that kpfa already serves.
People should listen to KALX, it is way better than KPFA.
KALX KALX KALX
People should listen to KALX, it is way better than KPFA.
KALX KALX KALX
The 25,000 subscribers are the ones who pay for KPFA and I can assure the reactionaries promoting this scheme to get ride of yet another station manager that we will not stand for their frame-up.
Everyone who supports Mr. Campanella and wants an end to the staff running our station rather than the listeners and the manager, please attend the Local Station Board meeting on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Freight & Salvage, 1111 Addison, Berkeley. See http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/
You can send an EMail of support for retaining Roy Campanella to the Board members at http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/index.php?page=members
One of those Board members is Riva Enteen at Riva187 [at] yahoo.com and she is certainly one of the best.
As we have all read, this is clearly another frame-up just as the attack on Dennis Bernstein is an outright frame-up.
What will take place now is the the charges filed with the FEPC & EEOC (state & federal discrimination complaint boards) will be given due consideration and most likely denied as the accused denies the charges. Then the complainers can file a civil rights complaint in either state or federal court or both, paying a lawyer themselves. Even on a contingency agreement, they still have to pay costs, which can run to tens of thousands of dollars if they ever go to trial, and where they will probably lose. The attorneys' time runs $200 to $500 per hour, which will have to be paid for with a settlement or the less likely plaintiffs' verdict. A plaintiffs' verdict can be and will be appealed by KPFA. An appeal can take 2 or more years to resolve, and this kind of civil rights case has almost no chance of prevailing anywhere. A federal lawsuit takes at least 2 years to get to trial. A state lawsuit may take a little less time, but state court costs are much more as there are now all kinds of fees, commonly known as the Proposition 13 fees, as they all are the direct result of insufficient funds for the courts, which turn around and charge the users in civil cases. A civil lawsuit is very expensive and very risky.
This writer happens to be a woman and I can assure you I do not waste time with filing legal complaints against any man who seems to be a problem. I simply tell him to stop the harassment immediately, and it works very well. There is something called assertiveness training that many people need, if the allegations are true. Since Mr. Campanella denies the charges, then this is a frame-up.
The List of Shame at http://www.kpfaworker.org/docs/noconfidence.php are all people who should resign since we the listeners have no confidence in them. There are lots of people who would be glad to work at KPFA and unlike the List of Shame, are proud to NOT be Democrats, but instead are socialists or Green Party members.
As was stated above, we are in danger of losing the 2 best programs on KPFA, Guns & Butter and Flashpoints. That is not acceptable at all.
Please attend the meeting and/or send Emails to the Local Station Board demanding that they retain Roy Campanella and not cater to this attack on KPFA by staff. Any staff who persists in this attack should resign immediately.
Everyone who supports Mr. Campanella and wants an end to the staff running our station rather than the listeners and the manager, please attend the Local Station Board meeting on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Freight & Salvage, 1111 Addison, Berkeley. See http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/
You can send an EMail of support for retaining Roy Campanella to the Board members at http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/index.php?page=members
One of those Board members is Riva Enteen at Riva187 [at] yahoo.com and she is certainly one of the best.
As we have all read, this is clearly another frame-up just as the attack on Dennis Bernstein is an outright frame-up.
What will take place now is the the charges filed with the FEPC & EEOC (state & federal discrimination complaint boards) will be given due consideration and most likely denied as the accused denies the charges. Then the complainers can file a civil rights complaint in either state or federal court or both, paying a lawyer themselves. Even on a contingency agreement, they still have to pay costs, which can run to tens of thousands of dollars if they ever go to trial, and where they will probably lose. The attorneys' time runs $200 to $500 per hour, which will have to be paid for with a settlement or the less likely plaintiffs' verdict. A plaintiffs' verdict can be and will be appealed by KPFA. An appeal can take 2 or more years to resolve, and this kind of civil rights case has almost no chance of prevailing anywhere. A federal lawsuit takes at least 2 years to get to trial. A state lawsuit may take a little less time, but state court costs are much more as there are now all kinds of fees, commonly known as the Proposition 13 fees, as they all are the direct result of insufficient funds for the courts, which turn around and charge the users in civil cases. A civil lawsuit is very expensive and very risky.
This writer happens to be a woman and I can assure you I do not waste time with filing legal complaints against any man who seems to be a problem. I simply tell him to stop the harassment immediately, and it works very well. There is something called assertiveness training that many people need, if the allegations are true. Since Mr. Campanella denies the charges, then this is a frame-up.
The List of Shame at http://www.kpfaworker.org/docs/noconfidence.php are all people who should resign since we the listeners have no confidence in them. There are lots of people who would be glad to work at KPFA and unlike the List of Shame, are proud to NOT be Democrats, but instead are socialists or Green Party members.
As was stated above, we are in danger of losing the 2 best programs on KPFA, Guns & Butter and Flashpoints. That is not acceptable at all.
Please attend the meeting and/or send Emails to the Local Station Board demanding that they retain Roy Campanella and not cater to this attack on KPFA by staff. Any staff who persists in this attack should resign immediately.
"Since Mr. Campanella denies the charges, then this is a frame-up."
Ah, so it's a frame up because Campanella denies it. That makes a great deal of sense as does the rest of the above screed. And if you care so much about Flashpoints, why aren't you objecting to the fact that Campanella forced Solange Echeverria out?
Ah, so it's a frame up because Campanella denies it. That makes a great deal of sense as does the rest of the above screed. And if you care so much about Flashpoints, why aren't you objecting to the fact that Campanella forced Solange Echeverria out?
Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
EMPLOYER LIABILITY
All employers are prohibited from harassing employees in the workplace. If harassment occurs, an employer may be liable even if management was not aware of the harassment.
An employer might avoid liability if the harasser is a non-management employee, the employer had no knowledge of the harassment, and there was a program to prevent harassment. If the harasser is a non-management employee, the employer may avoid liability if the employer takes immediate and appropriate corrective action to stop the harassment once the employer learns about it. *Employers are strictly liable for harassment by their supervisors or agents.* The harasser can be held personally liable for damages.
Additionally, Government Code section 12940, subdivision (i), requires an entity to take "all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring." If an employer has failed to take such preventative measures, that employer can be held liable for the harassment.
A victim may be entitled to monetary damages even though no employment opportunity has been denied and there is no actual loss of pay or benefits.
Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:
The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
EMPLOYER LIABILITY
All employers are prohibited from harassing employees in the workplace. If harassment occurs, an employer may be liable even if management was not aware of the harassment.
An employer might avoid liability if the harasser is a non-management employee, the employer had no knowledge of the harassment, and there was a program to prevent harassment. If the harasser is a non-management employee, the employer may avoid liability if the employer takes immediate and appropriate corrective action to stop the harassment once the employer learns about it. *Employers are strictly liable for harassment by their supervisors or agents.* The harasser can be held personally liable for damages.
Additionally, Government Code section 12940, subdivision (i), requires an entity to take "all reasonable steps to prevent harassment from occurring." If an employer has failed to take such preventative measures, that employer can be held liable for the harassment.
A victim may be entitled to monetary damages even though no employment opportunity has been denied and there is no actual loss of pay or benefits.
We, the 25,000 listeners, certainly remember Dennis Bernstein's warnings during the last fundraiser that a government frame-up was in the works, and now we see it. The agent provocateurs can try to prove their claims in court, and they will certainly lose. As Roy Campanella has stated, he has consulted with his attorneys and they have advised him he did nothing wrong. That means the agent provocateurs are lying to prevent any worthwhile changes at KPFA, which are obviously needed.
Whther it be the DFEH, the NLRB or any other agency, these charges have no chance and they certainly have no chance in any court. The fantasy that exists about the legal system solving any problems is absolutely amazing because it has no foundation in reality. The skeptical listener and Aaron have pointed out the lies and those points alone, much less the very weak case, will assure that this government provocation will go nowhere.
We also know that the charges against Dennis Bernstein are completely false. We have read a posting on this website as to what really happened, and that certainly made it clear that both the attack on Bernstein and the attack on Campanella are completely government frame-ups.
The staff had better learn that their employer is the 25,000 listeners and we view this latest frame-up of yet another station manager as a government provocation. It would be fine if the entire List of Shame resigns immediately. You played that insulting game twice now; once was bad enough.
We the 25,000 listeners urge the Local Station Board to retain Roy Campanella and the government agents can take their phony complaints to all kinds of agencies and the expensive court system if they wish, where they will lose. The sooner the entire List of Shame resigns, the better.
Whther it be the DFEH, the NLRB or any other agency, these charges have no chance and they certainly have no chance in any court. The fantasy that exists about the legal system solving any problems is absolutely amazing because it has no foundation in reality. The skeptical listener and Aaron have pointed out the lies and those points alone, much less the very weak case, will assure that this government provocation will go nowhere.
We also know that the charges against Dennis Bernstein are completely false. We have read a posting on this website as to what really happened, and that certainly made it clear that both the attack on Bernstein and the attack on Campanella are completely government frame-ups.
The staff had better learn that their employer is the 25,000 listeners and we view this latest frame-up of yet another station manager as a government provocation. It would be fine if the entire List of Shame resigns immediately. You played that insulting game twice now; once was bad enough.
We the 25,000 listeners urge the Local Station Board to retain Roy Campanella and the government agents can take their phony complaints to all kinds of agencies and the expensive court system if they wish, where they will lose. The sooner the entire List of Shame resigns, the better.
As a KPFA listener and financial supporter, I have to say that it is quite difficult to evaluate just what the heck is going on here. But one thing I'm sure all listener/supporters from the general public would agree on is that it is high time to do away with private LSB meetings. In addition, all meetings should be recorded with audio in the least and put on the web, no exceptions.
There needs to be complete and total sunshine in all operations.
Today, Aug. 14th, the LSB is meeting in "closed session"
http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/
There needs to be complete and total sunshine in all operations.
Today, Aug. 14th, the LSB is meeting in "closed session"
http://www.kpfa.org/lsb/
Only trouble is that employees could sue if the board discussed personnel matters in public..
I haven't read KPFA's open meetings policy and would be curious to know how strict it is, e.g. could the board move beyond just discussing "personnel matters" and e.g. take a vote while in closed session.
Unfortunately I guess we won't see much more of the local station board with so many personnel matters and litigation to discuss...
I haven't read KPFA's open meetings policy and would be curious to know how strict it is, e.g. could the board move beyond just discussing "personnel matters" and e.g. take a vote while in closed session.
Unfortunately I guess we won't see much more of the local station board with so many personnel matters and litigation to discuss...
Whoever asked, "what are the left a bunch of crazies?", the answer is yes. The U.S. left is an embarrassment compared to progressive movements in other democracies. It's a vile pit of conspiracy nuts, kooks nostalgic for the bad old days of the Iron Curtain, and pony-tailed ex-hippies just waking up from their acid trips. The U.S. left appeals to no one, has no influence and will continue to lose ground for the foreseeable future. Sorry to break the news to you but you'll continue on that path until those dinosaurs fade away.
I am a KPFA listerner and donor who has enjoyed and respected much of KPFA's programming in the last three years. It is very very difficult to see truth amidst all these fires and smoke (smokescreens?) between the Campanella folks, Bernstein folks, the 75-noconfidence petitioners, and others during these exchanges. Some of the noconfidence voicers I like on the air and had come to respect them for their reporting and perceived them to be honest, fair and critical thinkers. It pains me to see program staff and volunteers being painted negatively with a broad brush because the painting is being done by people who are avowedly good defenders of truth, justice, and the ___ way (you can fill in the blank with your word for what you esteem highest). No one in this battle will come out unscathed or innocent or pure or noble or right.
There seem to provocateurs and thugs on all sides. Sad. Very sad. Maybe its Arnold's allies, or Bush's buddies, or Trots or Stalinists, or Mao's minions or the Gang of Hoodlumism...whatever...whoever is left standing may be left with only shreds or chards of dignity or credibility...may the listenrers somehow continue to be served. We won't know until we hear the product of all this storm and strife. I don't know how long I can wait for the truth to come out before I listen to another station.
This is acritiques of both sides in the palace intrigue game at KPFA. Many times in the 60's + 70's, we learned that the personal is politcal. but when friendships develop and people call each other in public fora by their first names and when peopel chose sides not according to any logical or political criteria but according to who they know personally, it's time to step back and look critically and poltically at these phenoman.
1. It's about valuable real estate (on the radio specturm). The right wing, big capitalists, etc. don't like that KPFA has a multi-million dollar property in the middle of the FM dial. They don't like it that this station broadcasts leftist and progressive views and doesn't make money (i.e has no commericals) for some capitalist.
2. In this society and culture everybody's flawed. As an example Bernstein, (stop calling people by their first name as if we all know all these people) is one the greatest investigative journalists in the world. He's also arrogant as hell, and very patronizing and patriarchal. This type fo flaw exists for most people on all sides and within all factions. Witrh some exceptions, (Tattersall bieng a corporate plant) this battle is between good pople, who have differing ideas of what's good for KPFA and Pacifica.
3. Some of these flaws are becuase people get entrenchd in position (this is not a gibe at the "entrenched staff" only. Benrstein and others are also entrenched.
4. Others of these flaws come about because of gradualism, where people give up on trying to get what they actually feel is good and true and just and settle for what they fell they think they can get. This gradualist approach often gets good people involved in some bad institutions like the pro-capitalist Demoractic Party. People from all factions have been coopted by that alledged supporter of "one step better" than the Republicans.
So what cann we do: 1. CrIticize people poliitcally and not personally.
2. Realize that most of the people at the station really want this (non-commercial) project to work. 3. Realize that factions exist because of real differences in orientation, and there's wrong with like-minded people causcusing with each other on important issues. Nevertheless, don't get entrenched in thinking that everybody in youre factions are angels and everybody in the other faction are devils or fascists. Especially when it comes to issues as complicated as sexual harassment and how much control to give to workers vs. listeners and other important matters conisder that which side of a factional divide one is on may not be the only just way to look at every question.
4. Realize that while Cointelpro exists, that notg every mistake and questionable idea and practice has a conspiracy behind it. And stop saying so unless you have proof.
5. Deal with easy questions of infiltration first. Get rid of Marnie Tattersall.
6. Most importantly, think critically and what is best for the listeners. We will disagree, but hopefully honestly and without name-calling and violence. We should be using our name-calling against George Bush and his war, and against all supporters of it inciudiing most of the leadership of the Democratic Party.
1. It's about valuable real estate (on the radio specturm). The right wing, big capitalists, etc. don't like that KPFA has a multi-million dollar property in the middle of the FM dial. They don't like it that this station broadcasts leftist and progressive views and doesn't make money (i.e has no commericals) for some capitalist.
2. In this society and culture everybody's flawed. As an example Bernstein, (stop calling people by their first name as if we all know all these people) is one the greatest investigative journalists in the world. He's also arrogant as hell, and very patronizing and patriarchal. This type fo flaw exists for most people on all sides and within all factions. Witrh some exceptions, (Tattersall bieng a corporate plant) this battle is between good pople, who have differing ideas of what's good for KPFA and Pacifica.
3. Some of these flaws are becuase people get entrenchd in position (this is not a gibe at the "entrenched staff" only. Benrstein and others are also entrenched.
4. Others of these flaws come about because of gradualism, where people give up on trying to get what they actually feel is good and true and just and settle for what they fell they think they can get. This gradualist approach often gets good people involved in some bad institutions like the pro-capitalist Demoractic Party. People from all factions have been coopted by that alledged supporter of "one step better" than the Republicans.
So what cann we do: 1. CrIticize people poliitcally and not personally.
2. Realize that most of the people at the station really want this (non-commercial) project to work. 3. Realize that factions exist because of real differences in orientation, and there's wrong with like-minded people causcusing with each other on important issues. Nevertheless, don't get entrenched in thinking that everybody in youre factions are angels and everybody in the other faction are devils or fascists. Especially when it comes to issues as complicated as sexual harassment and how much control to give to workers vs. listeners and other important matters conisder that which side of a factional divide one is on may not be the only just way to look at every question.
4. Realize that while Cointelpro exists, that notg every mistake and questionable idea and practice has a conspiracy behind it. And stop saying so unless you have proof.
5. Deal with easy questions of infiltration first. Get rid of Marnie Tattersall.
6. Most importantly, think critically and what is best for the listeners. We will disagree, but hopefully honestly and without name-calling and violence. We should be using our name-calling against George Bush and his war, and against all supporters of it inciudiing most of the leadership of the Democratic Party.
Bernstein is not anywhere near one of the greatest reporters in the world. He's not even good. The guy never asks a hard or challenging question to any of the professional leftists he has on his show. Bernstein is a narcotic for the choir -- always there to confirm the status quo of bay arean leftist thought. That's why he's quit good at raising money-- tell people what they want to hear and they'll give.
reading thru some of the bizarre comments here it becomes apparent that some people are in engaged in a power struggle to protect their own vested interests, promote their version of a radical agenda, and punish those they disagree with.
1. Re: the odd assertion that the sexual harrassment charge againts D. Bernstein is part of a "Frame-up is Perpetrated by US Government"
(by KPFA Listener Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005 at 4:52 AM). That assumes that Bernstein is somehow dangerous or powerful or, as someone else asserted, 'a great investigative journalist,' which he is not. Flashpoints is a great program because of correspondents in the field like Kevin Pina in Haiti or Dahr Jamail in Iraq. I think Bernstein has his own agenda, like every other programmer, part of which is to profess his righteousness and superiority to NPR, part of which is to defend his turf, and part of which is to cover news no one else is covering. Despite his shortcomings, Flashpoints should be defended. But if assertions by Noelle Hanrahan are true, how can we defend Bernstein? Hanrahan can't be accused of being part of a government frame-up. As the producer of Mumia Abu-Jamal's commentaries and a prisoners rights activists she has more to fear from a government attack than D. Bernstein.
RE: Campanella. He admits to poor judgement in his relations with staff. If he doesn't 'get it' that women in his employ at the station would feel less than comfortable being asked on movie dates by their boss, then he's not qualified to be in a management position at a 'progressive' radio station. What planet has he been living on? Now that 80 staff and volunteers have signed on to a no confidence statement, Campanella should do us all a favor and resign.
1. Re: the odd assertion that the sexual harrassment charge againts D. Bernstein is part of a "Frame-up is Perpetrated by US Government"
(by KPFA Listener Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005 at 4:52 AM). That assumes that Bernstein is somehow dangerous or powerful or, as someone else asserted, 'a great investigative journalist,' which he is not. Flashpoints is a great program because of correspondents in the field like Kevin Pina in Haiti or Dahr Jamail in Iraq. I think Bernstein has his own agenda, like every other programmer, part of which is to profess his righteousness and superiority to NPR, part of which is to defend his turf, and part of which is to cover news no one else is covering. Despite his shortcomings, Flashpoints should be defended. But if assertions by Noelle Hanrahan are true, how can we defend Bernstein? Hanrahan can't be accused of being part of a government frame-up. As the producer of Mumia Abu-Jamal's commentaries and a prisoners rights activists she has more to fear from a government attack than D. Bernstein.
RE: Campanella. He admits to poor judgement in his relations with staff. If he doesn't 'get it' that women in his employ at the station would feel less than comfortable being asked on movie dates by their boss, then he's not qualified to be in a management position at a 'progressive' radio station. What planet has he been living on? Now that 80 staff and volunteers have signed on to a no confidence statement, Campanella should do us all a favor and resign.
Here's a wonderful idea. If you want KPFA to be relevant to more people and not just the usual suspects of annoying old lefties, why not produce quality programming? Not the tired old Flashpoints type programming of having a host and his guest try to out-left each other. How about something thoughtful that challenges us, that takes the left out of its tired old complacency and makes it think instead of continue to be very good at posturing and speechifying but very bad at attracting an audience. If you want more listeners, try not scaring them off with over-the-top rhetoric and pompous screams. How about more debate, more voices, less bloated neo-Bolshevist screeds? Bernstein is old, not so much chronologically, but his type of programming is old and tired. Time for something new, especially in such a crucial time slot.
I can't believe some of the postings that have been written, and the comments made toward the paid and unpaid workers of KPFA, namely the women and Hard Knock Radio. The people who are standing up and saying "no, we do not accept this behaivor" are not a faction, or one group with a vested interest in any programming, or timeslot. They are a diverse intergenerational group. Not to mention the vote of no confidence list should say it all. These people have a vested interest in raising the bar at KPFA.
The board should be ashamed that they would not take these allegations seriously. The women went thru due process for months and ran out of recourse when no one responded. They went thru professional mediation with Roy, only to halt the process when he threatened Weyland Southon to step outside. (which they did)
All the while Roy sits in his office with his door closed twittling his thumbs. This is not a political issue, it is what is right and what is wrong.
The board should be ashamed that they would not take these allegations seriously. The women went thru due process for months and ran out of recourse when no one responded. They went thru professional mediation with Roy, only to halt the process when he threatened Weyland Southon to step outside. (which they did)
All the while Roy sits in his office with his door closed twittling his thumbs. This is not a political issue, it is what is right and what is wrong.
I’m just one of thousands of Pacifica listeners/now members, who joined the fight for a liberated, democratic, open process, Mission focused and transformed Pacifica, with accountability and member participation in governance and programming decisions, and who’ve dedicated portions of their life to that common effort. I’m also an active SEIU 790 member, representing members in our SF regional conference and negotiating team. (I notice most posters here don’t provide their names and affiliations up front, why is that?)
As KPFA listeners are aware, station staff have been airing announcements and referrals to the http://www.kpfaworker.org website. Listeners are advised of the salaried staff CWA labor affiliation and referred to the website for KPFA labor information - of course the site is solely dedicated to their attack on GM Roy Campanella. These announcements are not random or isolated: from last week on, that is from the time of the press release on the filing of sexual harassment complaints with NRB and DFEH, the appearance of the pernicious "No Confidence" staff letter and posters at the station, they've been read regularly by several programmers, almost like a cart on priority rotation. For instance, yesterday the ad was repeated during the “Democracy Now!” station break (by either Morning Show staff or the Morning News reporter).
Obviously this - along with the July LSB turn out, the compliant filing, letter and posters - is part of a coordinated mobilization, public relations and propaganda campaign, not just to get rid of Roy, but to ruin him - and of course to expand and consolidate absolute autonomous control of the station.
Some concerned KPFA community members and activists have described this senior/allied staff effort as an open "mutiny" and coup in progress, leading to the appointment of Amelia Gonzalez as interim GM. I partly agree, although a coup implies the taking of power over the station operation and management, which the senior paid staff has already effectively established over the last six years. Not satisfied with parallelizing the GM in place - in fact the two GMs, both African American, selected and appointed under the new by laws - they want to finish the job by riding Campanella out of town and installing one of their own, whether or not she's qualified and experienced enough for that job, having served a limited time in a current position as Public Affairs/Arts department head.
Do I have to note, as have previous posters on this subject, the phoniness and utter hypocrisy of the self-righteous, signed staff demands for a safe, worker friendly workplace? Maybe not, but for those who will continue reading, here's a small serving of an ongoing perspective and appeal, which is shared and stated by some concerned community members in the "KPFA Community Statement on Violence in Pacifica" (an early version was posted on indymedia):
It's true that Pacifica/KPFA as the supposedly model progressive, community radio network, with criticism of corporate America on the issue, should have an exemplary Human Resources (HR) process and resources for investigating and addressing complaints of sexual harassment, violence and abuse. But of course that's been sadly lacking long before the current GM incidents/issues and when applicable to CWA staff, unpaid staff or community members as the perpetrators or victims. In recent KPFA history there's been the Noelle Hanrahan harassment/abuse and wrongful termination charges and lawsuit, Solange Echeverría’s similar complaint and abrupt termination, two complaints of witnessed physical and verbal intimidation and abuse of programmers by a program coordinator, and the famous Program Council chair tossing incident, also at WBAI the physical/verbal intimidation/abuse and termination of Robert Knight - none of these cases (whether or not all of the complaints are in fact well founded) were addressed or resolved by skilled HR staff and an established, standard HR internal or external compliant investigation/resolution process because Pacifica/KPFA doesn’t have them - and still refuses to take responsibility for hiring and developing them.
Pacifica national and local station boards, management and staff collectively refuse to acknowledge the problem or any responsibility for solving it, except of course as it applies to charges of KPFA GM misconduct. When community organizations and members addressed the workplace violence and abuse issue to the KPFA LSB in public sessions in May and June, they were ignored by the majority staff and allied listener reps, who refused to even discuss or vote on a simple motion on the subject, and were dismissed and branded as trouble makers (who justified the hiring of a security guard for the June meeting) – yet in the same and subsequent meetings the LSB went into closed sessions to deal with alleged workplace violence and harassment by the GM as THE overriding, emergency issue.
We all deserve better than the KPFA status quo - that’s been essentially carried over from the old PNB corporatist regime and desperately preserved by the senior staff faction now in power (who apparently survived the 1990s purges by going along with the damages done – and still mostly undone) - as what now sadly passes for free speech community radio on KPFA. So in the line of the Pacifica Mission, democracy and free speech, I’ll stand with my name, information and comments, and as long as readers consider and respect the entire statement and commitment - and posters honestly identify themselves - take feedback and a fair share of abuse.
Bob English
As KPFA listeners are aware, station staff have been airing announcements and referrals to the http://www.kpfaworker.org website. Listeners are advised of the salaried staff CWA labor affiliation and referred to the website for KPFA labor information - of course the site is solely dedicated to their attack on GM Roy Campanella. These announcements are not random or isolated: from last week on, that is from the time of the press release on the filing of sexual harassment complaints with NRB and DFEH, the appearance of the pernicious "No Confidence" staff letter and posters at the station, they've been read regularly by several programmers, almost like a cart on priority rotation. For instance, yesterday the ad was repeated during the “Democracy Now!” station break (by either Morning Show staff or the Morning News reporter).
Obviously this - along with the July LSB turn out, the compliant filing, letter and posters - is part of a coordinated mobilization, public relations and propaganda campaign, not just to get rid of Roy, but to ruin him - and of course to expand and consolidate absolute autonomous control of the station.
Some concerned KPFA community members and activists have described this senior/allied staff effort as an open "mutiny" and coup in progress, leading to the appointment of Amelia Gonzalez as interim GM. I partly agree, although a coup implies the taking of power over the station operation and management, which the senior paid staff has already effectively established over the last six years. Not satisfied with parallelizing the GM in place - in fact the two GMs, both African American, selected and appointed under the new by laws - they want to finish the job by riding Campanella out of town and installing one of their own, whether or not she's qualified and experienced enough for that job, having served a limited time in a current position as Public Affairs/Arts department head.
Do I have to note, as have previous posters on this subject, the phoniness and utter hypocrisy of the self-righteous, signed staff demands for a safe, worker friendly workplace? Maybe not, but for those who will continue reading, here's a small serving of an ongoing perspective and appeal, which is shared and stated by some concerned community members in the "KPFA Community Statement on Violence in Pacifica" (an early version was posted on indymedia):
It's true that Pacifica/KPFA as the supposedly model progressive, community radio network, with criticism of corporate America on the issue, should have an exemplary Human Resources (HR) process and resources for investigating and addressing complaints of sexual harassment, violence and abuse. But of course that's been sadly lacking long before the current GM incidents/issues and when applicable to CWA staff, unpaid staff or community members as the perpetrators or victims. In recent KPFA history there's been the Noelle Hanrahan harassment/abuse and wrongful termination charges and lawsuit, Solange Echeverría’s similar complaint and abrupt termination, two complaints of witnessed physical and verbal intimidation and abuse of programmers by a program coordinator, and the famous Program Council chair tossing incident, also at WBAI the physical/verbal intimidation/abuse and termination of Robert Knight - none of these cases (whether or not all of the complaints are in fact well founded) were addressed or resolved by skilled HR staff and an established, standard HR internal or external compliant investigation/resolution process because Pacifica/KPFA doesn’t have them - and still refuses to take responsibility for hiring and developing them.
Pacifica national and local station boards, management and staff collectively refuse to acknowledge the problem or any responsibility for solving it, except of course as it applies to charges of KPFA GM misconduct. When community organizations and members addressed the workplace violence and abuse issue to the KPFA LSB in public sessions in May and June, they were ignored by the majority staff and allied listener reps, who refused to even discuss or vote on a simple motion on the subject, and were dismissed and branded as trouble makers (who justified the hiring of a security guard for the June meeting) – yet in the same and subsequent meetings the LSB went into closed sessions to deal with alleged workplace violence and harassment by the GM as THE overriding, emergency issue.
We all deserve better than the KPFA status quo - that’s been essentially carried over from the old PNB corporatist regime and desperately preserved by the senior staff faction now in power (who apparently survived the 1990s purges by going along with the damages done – and still mostly undone) - as what now sadly passes for free speech community radio on KPFA. So in the line of the Pacifica Mission, democracy and free speech, I’ll stand with my name, information and comments, and as long as readers consider and respect the entire statement and commitment - and posters honestly identify themselves - take feedback and a fair share of abuse.
Bob English
The fact of the matter is that "Raising The Bar" has it exactly right.
You don't subject employess to abusive, incompetent management, which is exactly what this is, whether the charges meet the legal standards for sexual harassment or not, in order to settle scores. That's not progressive, nor is it in the basic sense, humane.
I'm a KPFA listener-activist, too, and like most, somewhat impatient with the pace of change. However I severely doubt that a Hollywood movie of the week director is the radical salvation of a station besieiged with the likes of Davey D. It's a political absurdity.
The point of the staff's campaign is that they are NOT being listened to and a million red herrings are being thrown up to avoid looking at the reality of bad management, a bully and an intimidator who has clear problems with women and who has demonstrated himself incapable of leading people in a productive way - which is the definition of management.
The only way for the governing board to clean this mess up, IMHO, is to immediately engage in a thorough GM evaluation - which would be scheduled for November, touching on issues of basic competency (have reports been filed as required, is there an understanding of financial processes and reports, is there proof of the implementation of workable procedures, is there evidence of the ability to lead by example and to inspire productive work in others?)
A waiting listener .....
You don't subject employess to abusive, incompetent management, which is exactly what this is, whether the charges meet the legal standards for sexual harassment or not, in order to settle scores. That's not progressive, nor is it in the basic sense, humane.
I'm a KPFA listener-activist, too, and like most, somewhat impatient with the pace of change. However I severely doubt that a Hollywood movie of the week director is the radical salvation of a station besieiged with the likes of Davey D. It's a political absurdity.
The point of the staff's campaign is that they are NOT being listened to and a million red herrings are being thrown up to avoid looking at the reality of bad management, a bully and an intimidator who has clear problems with women and who has demonstrated himself incapable of leading people in a productive way - which is the definition of management.
The only way for the governing board to clean this mess up, IMHO, is to immediately engage in a thorough GM evaluation - which would be scheduled for November, touching on issues of basic competency (have reports been filed as required, is there an understanding of financial processes and reports, is there proof of the implementation of workable procedures, is there evidence of the ability to lead by example and to inspire productive work in others?)
A waiting listener .....
for your very informative post.
I just want to add a few things including a "friendly amendment".
You should check out the statement of Leslie Kean, a co-producer with Dennis Bernstein at the time when they both worked with Noelle Hanrahan. It gives a view of Noelle as a very negative force in the workplace. See: http://www.indybay.org/print.php?id=1754430
In fact I believe these unverified charges against Bernstein are being used by those who wish to eliminate his radical Flashpoints programming & that of Bonnie Faulkner (Guns & Butter). Their criticisms of them include that theirs is not responsible journalism & that they want those slots for new, possibly youth radio programming. In fact, Amelia Gonzalez is said to be one of those who want to get rid of Bernstein & Faulkner.
The competition for time slots is an unfortunate result of a situation which I described previously and will repeat here:
There are a lot of people, many of them young,
trained by the apprenticeship program who can't
get on the air because there are no open time
slots! They want to get other programmers slots,
old timers like Dennis Bernstein & Robbie Osman!
They don't seem to go after Larry Bensky, Kris
Welch, & other anti-democratic "entrenched staff"!
Maybe this is because they are being allied with
by them, & others who want to get the most radical
public affairs also including Guns & Butter, off the
air, saying it's not responsible professional
journalism. (We can imagine other forces which
would want to eliminate them.)
But the real problem is the NPR-ized "strip
programming" which the govt. collaborating former
Pat Scott group imposed, when they fired
hundreds of programmers in one fell swoop in 1995,
or possibly earlier than that.
There had been a structure of program collectives -
Women's, Third World, etc. etc., which put on dozens
of segments by different programmers, & also varied
programs which you could keep track of through a
wonderful printed Folio with program descriptions,
b & w photo portraits,feature articles, program series,
controversial critical letters.
Now we have individual programmers with 1 & 2
hour time slots which they guard at the expense of
their integrity! When there were evening public affairs
& news rebroadcasts, now there are lengthy music
programs.
Concerning the refusal of the LSB to deal publicly with the violence at the station, I want to point out again that those who proposed & voted for this were the People's Radio minority on the LSB.
I'm not trying to be divisive, I just wish listeners could be aware of the role of different people on the LSB so they could make wise choices when they vote in LSB elections! Last time, they voted mostly for PR candidates, but it was not enough - the 5 staff elected reps were all of the anti- democracy bloc, so they got a majority. (Irregularities in the staff election caused some to ask for a staff revote, but Pacifica did not allow this.)
Mark Hernandez suggested having a town hall meeting "within 90 days" to discuss the violence problem in public, but I don't know what's been happening with that. The LSB has been very occupied with the GM matter.
Thank you, Bob.
I just want to add a few things including a "friendly amendment".
You should check out the statement of Leslie Kean, a co-producer with Dennis Bernstein at the time when they both worked with Noelle Hanrahan. It gives a view of Noelle as a very negative force in the workplace. See: http://www.indybay.org/print.php?id=1754430
In fact I believe these unverified charges against Bernstein are being used by those who wish to eliminate his radical Flashpoints programming & that of Bonnie Faulkner (Guns & Butter). Their criticisms of them include that theirs is not responsible journalism & that they want those slots for new, possibly youth radio programming. In fact, Amelia Gonzalez is said to be one of those who want to get rid of Bernstein & Faulkner.
The competition for time slots is an unfortunate result of a situation which I described previously and will repeat here:
There are a lot of people, many of them young,
trained by the apprenticeship program who can't
get on the air because there are no open time
slots! They want to get other programmers slots,
old timers like Dennis Bernstein & Robbie Osman!
They don't seem to go after Larry Bensky, Kris
Welch, & other anti-democratic "entrenched staff"!
Maybe this is because they are being allied with
by them, & others who want to get the most radical
public affairs also including Guns & Butter, off the
air, saying it's not responsible professional
journalism. (We can imagine other forces which
would want to eliminate them.)
But the real problem is the NPR-ized "strip
programming" which the govt. collaborating former
Pat Scott group imposed, when they fired
hundreds of programmers in one fell swoop in 1995,
or possibly earlier than that.
There had been a structure of program collectives -
Women's, Third World, etc. etc., which put on dozens
of segments by different programmers, & also varied
programs which you could keep track of through a
wonderful printed Folio with program descriptions,
b & w photo portraits,feature articles, program series,
controversial critical letters.
Now we have individual programmers with 1 & 2
hour time slots which they guard at the expense of
their integrity! When there were evening public affairs
& news rebroadcasts, now there are lengthy music
programs.
Concerning the refusal of the LSB to deal publicly with the violence at the station, I want to point out again that those who proposed & voted for this were the People's Radio minority on the LSB.
I'm not trying to be divisive, I just wish listeners could be aware of the role of different people on the LSB so they could make wise choices when they vote in LSB elections! Last time, they voted mostly for PR candidates, but it was not enough - the 5 staff elected reps were all of the anti- democracy bloc, so they got a majority. (Irregularities in the staff election caused some to ask for a staff revote, but Pacifica did not allow this.)
Mark Hernandez suggested having a town hall meeting "within 90 days" to discuss the violence problem in public, but I don't know what's been happening with that. The LSB has been very occupied with the GM matter.
Thank you, Bob.
"Mara" said:
"There are a lot of people, many of them young, trained by the apprenticeship program who can't get on the air because there are no open time slots! They want to get other programmers slots,
old timers like Dennis Bernstein & Robbie Osman! They don't seem to go after Larry Bensky, Kris Welch, & other anti-democratic "entrenched staff"! Maybe this is because they are being allied with
by them, & others who want to get the most radical public affairs also including Guns & Butter, off the air, saying it's not responsible professional journalism."
This bunch of horse-puckey falls apart on at least 3 different counts. Firstly, there's a whole heck of a lot of people with more time in at KPFA than Dennis Bernstein. If you knew a cotton picking thing about what was actually going on at the station, then you would know that the apprenticeship program and its graduates put enormous, unrelenting pressure on Larry Bensky, Kris Welch and the rest of the "entrenched" staff to turn over the reins.
Bensky and Welch aren't even on the same side of this matter, Welch having signed the letter of no confidence and Bensky choosing not to do so.
The only reason *anybody* wants to get Dennis Bernstein off the air is because of his abusive behavior..
Guns and Butter has been on KPFA since 2002 and just had its contract renewed for 12 months after going through an evaluation - a contract that was endorsed by KPFA's program council.
"There had been a structure of program collectives - Women's, Third World, etc. etc., which put on dozens of segments by different programmers"
And KPFA *is* recreating that structure, with a new women's collective that is airing a show on Monday afternoons and a New World Center which has been created to echo the old Third World Department. The problem for your theory is that most of the programmers associated with the women's collective and the New World Center ... signed the letter of no confidence. Oops!
Whaddya wanna bet that if Campanella had been dropped into the pre-1990 KPFA and acted as he has, that it wouldn't have gone over then either?
Bad management is bad management and employees don't like being bullied. It's not rocket science to figure that out.
"There are a lot of people, many of them young, trained by the apprenticeship program who can't get on the air because there are no open time slots! They want to get other programmers slots,
old timers like Dennis Bernstein & Robbie Osman! They don't seem to go after Larry Bensky, Kris Welch, & other anti-democratic "entrenched staff"! Maybe this is because they are being allied with
by them, & others who want to get the most radical public affairs also including Guns & Butter, off the air, saying it's not responsible professional journalism."
This bunch of horse-puckey falls apart on at least 3 different counts. Firstly, there's a whole heck of a lot of people with more time in at KPFA than Dennis Bernstein. If you knew a cotton picking thing about what was actually going on at the station, then you would know that the apprenticeship program and its graduates put enormous, unrelenting pressure on Larry Bensky, Kris Welch and the rest of the "entrenched" staff to turn over the reins.
Bensky and Welch aren't even on the same side of this matter, Welch having signed the letter of no confidence and Bensky choosing not to do so.
The only reason *anybody* wants to get Dennis Bernstein off the air is because of his abusive behavior..
Guns and Butter has been on KPFA since 2002 and just had its contract renewed for 12 months after going through an evaluation - a contract that was endorsed by KPFA's program council.
"There had been a structure of program collectives - Women's, Third World, etc. etc., which put on dozens of segments by different programmers"
And KPFA *is* recreating that structure, with a new women's collective that is airing a show on Monday afternoons and a New World Center which has been created to echo the old Third World Department. The problem for your theory is that most of the programmers associated with the women's collective and the New World Center ... signed the letter of no confidence. Oops!
Whaddya wanna bet that if Campanella had been dropped into the pre-1990 KPFA and acted as he has, that it wouldn't have gone over then either?
Bad management is bad management and employees don't like being bullied. It's not rocket science to figure that out.
Now that the LSB majority has refused to remove Roy Campanella II, the station and listeners are in for another doozy. Rumor has it that Campanella II is going to circumvent the democratic process and appoint Sunday Salon producer (and Campanella supporter) Stephanie Hendricks to the position of program director -- the second most powerful job at a radio station -- with no oversight from the board.
Long live the Campanella-Tattersall faction.
Long live the Campanella-Tattersall faction.
Well, that's one way to reduce the influence of the entrenched staff and the "Bensky-esque" liberals at the station, huh?
There you go, same old tired bunch of old lefties fighting the battles of the 60s again. Same old bunch of arm chair revolutionaries griping about programmers at a station that hardly anyone listens to, and they don't listen to it because they don't want warmed over 60s rhetoric. KPFA could present vibrant, well-produced, top-notch programming that could really capture the Bay Area's attention. Instead it's held hostage by a bunch of aging hippies and outmoded old reds with no where else to go. If you old hard-line lefties would kindly step aside, KPFA could get on with 21st century programming, and not mid-20th century clap-trap based on failed ideologies. Get out of the way hippies!
The government? The government is responsible for the wrangling at KPFA? Sounds like someone forgot to take his/her medication....
This station needs to become a professional radio station instead of a "who's the most left-wing" contest among aging hippies, conspiracy theorists, and people who think they're entitled to air time because they're opressed "people of color".
While I like some of the correspondents on Flashpoints, as others have pointed out it is not really journalism. I have never once heard D. Bernstein ask a tough question of a lefty. Whether it is conspiracy theorists stating that 9/11 was a government plot or welfare advocates saying that they shouldn't be required to work anyone spounting something sounding lefty just gets a free ride with no attempt to make them prove their point.
As usual on the American left, they cannot be united and break down into smaller and smaller interest groups (but what about the rights of African American disabled lesbian poets?").
There is more intelligenmt satire and reporting of world events one one half hour of John Stewart's Daily SHow than a week of programming on KPFA. And what is with five hours of programming a week about rap music during prime commute hours? I'm sorry, but the worl does not revolve around hip hop.
KPFA needs a professional radio station manager and program director brought in from the commercial world, then maybe they could stop the infighting, and focus on countering right wing radio and Bush instead of attcking each other. Can you imagine any of this behavior at KQED? It wouldn't happen!
While I like some of the correspondents on Flashpoints, as others have pointed out it is not really journalism. I have never once heard D. Bernstein ask a tough question of a lefty. Whether it is conspiracy theorists stating that 9/11 was a government plot or welfare advocates saying that they shouldn't be required to work anyone spounting something sounding lefty just gets a free ride with no attempt to make them prove their point.
As usual on the American left, they cannot be united and break down into smaller and smaller interest groups (but what about the rights of African American disabled lesbian poets?").
There is more intelligenmt satire and reporting of world events one one half hour of John Stewart's Daily SHow than a week of programming on KPFA. And what is with five hours of programming a week about rap music during prime commute hours? I'm sorry, but the worl does not revolve around hip hop.
KPFA needs a professional radio station manager and program director brought in from the commercial world, then maybe they could stop the infighting, and focus on countering right wing radio and Bush instead of attcking each other. Can you imagine any of this behavior at KQED? It wouldn't happen!
Grownups would realize that when they try something and it does not work it needs to be changed. Factionalism and emotional extremism aside, and regardless of who is correct and who is wrong (or left or right), the boards choice of station manager did not work out. In the normal, grown up, course of things a managing body would cut their losses, admit having made a mistake without needing to assign blame, correct that mistake and absorb the costs of having made that mistake. This is not happening.
The structural problems that created the Pacifica row that resulted in "reformed" governance at Pacifica have not been effectively addressed. Absentee ownership lies at the heart of this. Pacifica is a holding company, period. As such it has an imperfect understanding of local issues and is poorly motivated to look at problems from a local perspective.
The LSB is the equivalent of a high school student government. It has only "advisory" powers and the members are more motivated to please the biases constituencies than to hold to what is best for the station.
As time goes on the monetary value of the various station licenses has an insidious influence on decision making (gee money is tight, let's sell a station!).
"Liberal" political circles remain in support of our countries military agenda and will chaff at legitimate coverage to the growing groundswell of hatred for this war, in particular, and war as public policy in general.
The house of financial cards that supports the many well heeled "supporters" of "public radio" is collapsing, and with it much of the affluence that public radio has come to depend on for support, and, consequently, to please and placate.
NPR is not "public" but has rather become a "left branded" outlet for government propaganda. I would suspect that supporters of Pacifica and its poor choice of Managing Directors also have a positive view of NPR and would like nothing better than for KPFA to emulate NPR in its programing.
We do not need more "public radio," we have more than enough with NPR. What is lacking, and what was supposed to be the mission of Pacifica, is the airing of viewpoints that do not receive adequate coverage in the more mainstream outlets. Instead of thinking of "public radio," we should think more about "peoples radio." That is what is lacking.
So the National Board of Pacifica screwed up with the GM choice. So what? It is a hard job. Keep trying to find someone that can work with the staff and listenership. As long as these decisions are made far away, and by people who are not involved daily in producing and listening to the station we will continue to have these conflicts. A radical structural change in how Pacifica and KPFA is organized will need to be accomplished. No more reform, please.
herb
The structural problems that created the Pacifica row that resulted in "reformed" governance at Pacifica have not been effectively addressed. Absentee ownership lies at the heart of this. Pacifica is a holding company, period. As such it has an imperfect understanding of local issues and is poorly motivated to look at problems from a local perspective.
The LSB is the equivalent of a high school student government. It has only "advisory" powers and the members are more motivated to please the biases constituencies than to hold to what is best for the station.
As time goes on the monetary value of the various station licenses has an insidious influence on decision making (gee money is tight, let's sell a station!).
"Liberal" political circles remain in support of our countries military agenda and will chaff at legitimate coverage to the growing groundswell of hatred for this war, in particular, and war as public policy in general.
The house of financial cards that supports the many well heeled "supporters" of "public radio" is collapsing, and with it much of the affluence that public radio has come to depend on for support, and, consequently, to please and placate.
NPR is not "public" but has rather become a "left branded" outlet for government propaganda. I would suspect that supporters of Pacifica and its poor choice of Managing Directors also have a positive view of NPR and would like nothing better than for KPFA to emulate NPR in its programing.
We do not need more "public radio," we have more than enough with NPR. What is lacking, and what was supposed to be the mission of Pacifica, is the airing of viewpoints that do not receive adequate coverage in the more mainstream outlets. Instead of thinking of "public radio," we should think more about "peoples radio." That is what is lacking.
So the National Board of Pacifica screwed up with the GM choice. So what? It is a hard job. Keep trying to find someone that can work with the staff and listenership. As long as these decisions are made far away, and by people who are not involved daily in producing and listening to the station we will continue to have these conflicts. A radical structural change in how Pacifica and KPFA is organized will need to be accomplished. No more reform, please.
herb
herb are just blind to the facts or is there something more sinister to your game . .
the fact is the kpfa news shows have been going down hill for awhile . . . AND THE ONES PUSHING THIS COUP ARE THE SAME ONES DRAGING THE NEWS SHOW DOWN
the crap is starting to sound like npr type covert right wing PROPOGANDA crap. .. . fact the dip shits that is running the news show and themorning show give air time to bush!!!
THAT IS BULL SHIT !!! no one who listens to kpfa wants to here that shit heads voice . . . let alone his propogandized speaches . . .not a word from that asshole should be on kpfa EVER!!!
THE COUP ATEMPT AT KPFA MUST BE DEFEATED !
I have heard that the jerks that are sueing the station in their lame atempt to disstablize the free speach nature of kpfa have stooped so low as to sending threating letters to the flash point staff for not signing the coup list . . .
the list is showing who the right wing fascist moles are at kpfa
AND ITS TIME THE LISTENERS GOT TOGETHER AND CLEANED HOUSE OF THESE FACIST AGENTS
THIS IS THE LISTENERS STATION NOT THE FACIST SLIME THAT WANT TO NPR-IZE KPFA. . . .
the fact is the kpfa news shows have been going down hill for awhile . . . AND THE ONES PUSHING THIS COUP ARE THE SAME ONES DRAGING THE NEWS SHOW DOWN
the crap is starting to sound like npr type covert right wing PROPOGANDA crap. .. . fact the dip shits that is running the news show and themorning show give air time to bush!!!
THAT IS BULL SHIT !!! no one who listens to kpfa wants to here that shit heads voice . . . let alone his propogandized speaches . . .not a word from that asshole should be on kpfa EVER!!!
THE COUP ATEMPT AT KPFA MUST BE DEFEATED !
I have heard that the jerks that are sueing the station in their lame atempt to disstablize the free speach nature of kpfa have stooped so low as to sending threating letters to the flash point staff for not signing the coup list . . .
the list is showing who the right wing fascist moles are at kpfa
AND ITS TIME THE LISTENERS GOT TOGETHER AND CLEANED HOUSE OF THESE FACIST AGENTS
THIS IS THE LISTENERS STATION NOT THE FACIST SLIME THAT WANT TO NPR-IZE KPFA. . . .
Wow, finally some good points have been made on this thread by someone other than me. East Bay Listener I salute you. That last wack job, who doesn't even have it together enough to be able to spell correctly, is proof positive that the left is out to lunch in the U.S. What fascist coup is this loopy dude talking about? He's a fascist, a left fascist, who can't get anybody to listen to him outside the mixed up, half-baked world of left extremists. Imagine if a professionally run program ran during afternoon drive, instead of the screed of the day, which runs there now. Maybe KPFA could actually build an audience. Imagine that.
It was a dry wind
And it swept across the desert
And it curled into the circle of birth
And the dead sand
Falling on the children
The mothers and the fathers
And the automatic earth
And it swept across the desert
And it curled into the circle of birth
And the dead sand
Falling on the children
The mothers and the fathers
And the automatic earth
jerome your comment is worthless,
comments are to be regarding to the article dip
as for the coup attempt at kpfa it will fail . . . .
Dennis is the best asset of the station the news department needs new leadership it is a weak point of the station
the morning show is garbage and needs to be replaced by a hard hiting informative show that is not just a watered down version of what has happened to npr
the phony false claims and attcks by the infiltrators are an example of how desperate the right wing extermists are to get shows like FLASH POINTS off the air and they are falures
comments are to be regarding to the article dip
as for the coup attempt at kpfa it will fail . . . .
Dennis is the best asset of the station the news department needs new leadership it is a weak point of the station
the morning show is garbage and needs to be replaced by a hard hiting informative show that is not just a watered down version of what has happened to npr
the phony false claims and attcks by the infiltrators are an example of how desperate the right wing extermists are to get shows like FLASH POINTS off the air and they are falures
"Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment."
Of course the 'unnecessary', vague, fuzzy details is that these charges have to be PROVEN. Not merely alleged. And "proof" is not merely a screed purported to legally specify what sexual harassment is. (By the way, where is the specific section reference/URL so that we all know that everything RC 'copied' in "Facts About Sexual Harassment" is complete and unaltered?)
The unfortunate fly in the ointment is that some of us don't believe in a campaign of rampant mob 'justice' and "guilt" by merely even a vociferous swarm of allegations, let alone also just throwing up a legal screed describing sexual harassment. We believe in PROVEN facts and evidence conforming to legitimate criteria to support the allegations. Apparently proven facts conforming to legitimate criteria were absent at the LSB personnel session on this matter. (Even on an LSB with members well-representing the more conservative and anti-democratic in-station interests.)
"Since Mr. Campanella denies the charges, then this is a frame-up."
Of couse this statement on its own (i.e., the conclusion) is not necessarily true. Perhaps it was an out-of-context or poorly worded sentence in an otherwise excellent post by "KPFA listener" above.
"As Roy Campanella has stated, he has consulted with his attorneys and they have advised him he did nothing wrong."
This statement on its own (i.e., the conclusion) is also not necessarily true. In fact it is legally meaningless. "...[You] did nothing wrong" is not a legal conclusion. And most careful, circumspect attorneys would never make such a legally meaningless, legally vague, and possibly legally misleading statement to a client. For one, attorney-client dialogues are normally confidential, so the rest of us have no way to independently verify what Campanella alleged claims his attorney said (unless his attorney public says or writes this). On the other hand, whether his attorney actually said this or not, this could just be a statement designed for public consumption. And one might expect that an attorney might possibly tell their client that he/she did nothing wrong, whatever the facts. An attorney is inherently not an unbiased source: it's the client's legal representative. Guilt or innocence is what a supposedly unbiased jury is availed to determine. But what more likely is that an attorney might hypothetically offer the legal opinion, "I don't believe that there is really a viable legal case against you."
The 'problem' is that people like me morally believe that if the issue of sexual harassment/discrimination is to be taken SERIOUSLY, then the cases must be judged on the basis of determinable FACTS and EVIDENCE. Not merely on the basis of whether the person(s) who made the allegation(s) is a woman, or even a marshalled series of women, or who shouts the loudest, or who cries the most (male or female), or merely on who can popularly corral the most signatures (coincidentally composed of the same political in-station faction orchestrating their other mutual factional interests). Ulterior, vindictive, exagerated, prejudicial and other phony cases hurt all women and the issue itself.
A lot of people (like Tanya: see Justice Will Prevail At KPFA), especially those who may be self-hyped on selective or inordinate "political correctness", simply don't know what sexual harassment morally or legally is (as I have legally indicated before). Mere allegations are not evidence and neither is mere denial. But I also do look at the context, extent and degree of the allegations, including who is making them and whether it looks like an orchestrated campaign, or if the accusers have any other motivations for making the allegations and I, thus far, certainly have my doubts about their claims (or at the very least their exageration sufficient to warrant Roy's job dismissal or a plaintiff's court victory).
To deanosor: while I always respect your thoughtful approach, you, in part, seem to make the same mistake (assuming it is one) in judgement that Campanella makes. The polar political perspectives at KPFA are not merely 'a gentleman's disagreement' where 'good people' differ. It's about touchy-feely, 'NPR'-esque, political dilettantes or pure careerists who think that the likes of Nancy Pelosi are "left" or even "progressive" and are basically _comfortable_ with the Democrat wing of the Republicrat party. Both wings generally being the party of manufactured, if not directly created, external boogeymen and permanent war. This so, versus those of us who want _real_ change in this country at a time that will drastically determine the entire future and _permanent_ character of this so-called "democracy" -- with no exageration, _toward_ fascism (9-11's windfall for the U.S. government). By the time the pro-Democrat, NPR-esque in-station faction gets a clue, we (well, anyone to the left of the new Supreme Court nominee or recent federal judges, who the Dems also vote to confirm) all will be held in stadiums -- against our will.
Zionist: "That assumes that Bernstein is somehow dangerous or powerful..."
Why don't you ask AIPAC? ...Or all the rest of you Zionists that keep making death threats against him?
Zionist: "Flashpoints is a great program because of correspondents in the field like Kevin Pina in Haiti or Dahr Jamail in Iraq."
Why didn't you mention the equally prominent Nora Barrows Friedman? She's been in the field too - under conditions at least as dangerous. She, like Pina and Jamail, has also given public lectures and presentations. I note that you omit the one other pro-Palesetinian human rights advocate on Flashpoints besides Bernstein. And she has often been on more than Bernstein. So how could you omit her? Hmmm....?
Petey Wheatstraw. Pete can rail about Bernstein being "old" (with Pete's thinly veiled agism), but not the arrogant, cantankerous, "posturing, speechifying, pompous, self-righteous, tired", debate-limiting Bensky (who's been at KPFA a lot longer than Bernstein). Telling. Talk about, "Time for something new, especially in such a crucial time slot"! What audience does _Bensky_ attract under 50? But Pete "Archie Bunker" Wheatstraw is obviously some right-wing ranting provacateur armchair nut trying to pose as some leftist, so his cliched right-wing cracks get no more of my time.
'East Bay listener' (a.k.a. Petey?): "I have never once heard D. Bernstein ask a tough question of a lefty."
You mean like when Bernstein pointedly asked, right on the air, Greg Palast about his racist anti-Palestinian comments published in the (Jewish) Forward and also posted and challenged on Indybay? You mean when Bernstein even opened up the phone lines to even let listeners challenge Palast's evasive responses? You haven't really been listening.
Of course the 'unnecessary', vague, fuzzy details is that these charges have to be PROVEN. Not merely alleged. And "proof" is not merely a screed purported to legally specify what sexual harassment is. (By the way, where is the specific section reference/URL so that we all know that everything RC 'copied' in "Facts About Sexual Harassment" is complete and unaltered?)
The unfortunate fly in the ointment is that some of us don't believe in a campaign of rampant mob 'justice' and "guilt" by merely even a vociferous swarm of allegations, let alone also just throwing up a legal screed describing sexual harassment. We believe in PROVEN facts and evidence conforming to legitimate criteria to support the allegations. Apparently proven facts conforming to legitimate criteria were absent at the LSB personnel session on this matter. (Even on an LSB with members well-representing the more conservative and anti-democratic in-station interests.)
"Since Mr. Campanella denies the charges, then this is a frame-up."
Of couse this statement on its own (i.e., the conclusion) is not necessarily true. Perhaps it was an out-of-context or poorly worded sentence in an otherwise excellent post by "KPFA listener" above.
"As Roy Campanella has stated, he has consulted with his attorneys and they have advised him he did nothing wrong."
This statement on its own (i.e., the conclusion) is also not necessarily true. In fact it is legally meaningless. "...[You] did nothing wrong" is not a legal conclusion. And most careful, circumspect attorneys would never make such a legally meaningless, legally vague, and possibly legally misleading statement to a client. For one, attorney-client dialogues are normally confidential, so the rest of us have no way to independently verify what Campanella alleged claims his attorney said (unless his attorney public says or writes this). On the other hand, whether his attorney actually said this or not, this could just be a statement designed for public consumption. And one might expect that an attorney might possibly tell their client that he/she did nothing wrong, whatever the facts. An attorney is inherently not an unbiased source: it's the client's legal representative. Guilt or innocence is what a supposedly unbiased jury is availed to determine. But what more likely is that an attorney might hypothetically offer the legal opinion, "I don't believe that there is really a viable legal case against you."
The 'problem' is that people like me morally believe that if the issue of sexual harassment/discrimination is to be taken SERIOUSLY, then the cases must be judged on the basis of determinable FACTS and EVIDENCE. Not merely on the basis of whether the person(s) who made the allegation(s) is a woman, or even a marshalled series of women, or who shouts the loudest, or who cries the most (male or female), or merely on who can popularly corral the most signatures (coincidentally composed of the same political in-station faction orchestrating their other mutual factional interests). Ulterior, vindictive, exagerated, prejudicial and other phony cases hurt all women and the issue itself.
A lot of people (like Tanya: see Justice Will Prevail At KPFA), especially those who may be self-hyped on selective or inordinate "political correctness", simply don't know what sexual harassment morally or legally is (as I have legally indicated before). Mere allegations are not evidence and neither is mere denial. But I also do look at the context, extent and degree of the allegations, including who is making them and whether it looks like an orchestrated campaign, or if the accusers have any other motivations for making the allegations and I, thus far, certainly have my doubts about their claims (or at the very least their exageration sufficient to warrant Roy's job dismissal or a plaintiff's court victory).
To deanosor: while I always respect your thoughtful approach, you, in part, seem to make the same mistake (assuming it is one) in judgement that Campanella makes. The polar political perspectives at KPFA are not merely 'a gentleman's disagreement' where 'good people' differ. It's about touchy-feely, 'NPR'-esque, political dilettantes or pure careerists who think that the likes of Nancy Pelosi are "left" or even "progressive" and are basically _comfortable_ with the Democrat wing of the Republicrat party. Both wings generally being the party of manufactured, if not directly created, external boogeymen and permanent war. This so, versus those of us who want _real_ change in this country at a time that will drastically determine the entire future and _permanent_ character of this so-called "democracy" -- with no exageration, _toward_ fascism (9-11's windfall for the U.S. government). By the time the pro-Democrat, NPR-esque in-station faction gets a clue, we (well, anyone to the left of the new Supreme Court nominee or recent federal judges, who the Dems also vote to confirm) all will be held in stadiums -- against our will.
Zionist: "That assumes that Bernstein is somehow dangerous or powerful..."
Why don't you ask AIPAC? ...Or all the rest of you Zionists that keep making death threats against him?
Zionist: "Flashpoints is a great program because of correspondents in the field like Kevin Pina in Haiti or Dahr Jamail in Iraq."
Why didn't you mention the equally prominent Nora Barrows Friedman? She's been in the field too - under conditions at least as dangerous. She, like Pina and Jamail, has also given public lectures and presentations. I note that you omit the one other pro-Palesetinian human rights advocate on Flashpoints besides Bernstein. And she has often been on more than Bernstein. So how could you omit her? Hmmm....?
Petey Wheatstraw. Pete can rail about Bernstein being "old" (with Pete's thinly veiled agism), but not the arrogant, cantankerous, "posturing, speechifying, pompous, self-righteous, tired", debate-limiting Bensky (who's been at KPFA a lot longer than Bernstein). Telling. Talk about, "Time for something new, especially in such a crucial time slot"! What audience does _Bensky_ attract under 50? But Pete "Archie Bunker" Wheatstraw is obviously some right-wing ranting provacateur armchair nut trying to pose as some leftist, so his cliched right-wing cracks get no more of my time.
'East Bay listener' (a.k.a. Petey?): "I have never once heard D. Bernstein ask a tough question of a lefty."
You mean like when Bernstein pointedly asked, right on the air, Greg Palast about his racist anti-Palestinian comments published in the (Jewish) Forward and also posted and challenged on Indybay? You mean when Bernstein even opened up the phone lines to even let listeners challenge Palast's evasive responses? You haven't really been listening.
The struggle that must be. What a laugh. What's all this nonsense about right vs. left vs. whatever. That's old style 20th century thinking. Mr. Struggle, you're a windbag of the highest order. You're out of date. You know one of those guys who likes to gather with his one, or two friends in poorly lit rooms and argue about politics with only yourselves as an audience. You're one of those kind of guys who, along with those one or two friends, split off from the Socialist World Workers Party to form the new Socialist Independent Party of the Revolution, which differs from the former on some irrelevant piece of minutiae that normal people gave up thinking about decades ago. You're one of those kind of guys who, rather than holding down a real nine to five, or somehow contributing to the betterment of society, would rather post on obscure left wing websites all day, where you can hold forth as the leading authority on everything, all the while ignoring the fact that no one outside your immediate circle really cares what you have to say about anything. Go on holding court while the rest of the world gets on with their lives.
This is an ad hominem. Please focus on the actual issues. It will make for a more productive discussion.
See:
struggle schmuggle
by Petey Wheatstraw Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2005 at 10:41 PM
struggle schmuggle
by Petey Wheatstraw Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2005 at 10:41 PM
As a matter of fact no, you needn't say more.
Ole crazy ranting Petey pretty much exposes himself.
Crazy? Ranting? Have you seen you're earlier screed. As for exposing myself. I've never pretended to be anything other than a disliker of people like you. People who sit back and criticize everything, yet do very little themselves. People who are sure they have the recipe for what ails the world, but do little to actually change anything. People who spend all their time reading worn out old revolutionary tracts, instead of taking part in real day-to-day life. Why don't you simply go back to printing out your weekly copy of the "Revolutionary Wanker" or whatever its called, with its circulation of five, and keep citing old tired jargon. The rest of will get on with it.
It's called _satire_ and it was _obvious_ satire, but signed with my name. Get a sense of humor and stop being so arbitrary. (I'll reconstruct it later.) I'm going to start agreeing with Pete about some "leftists". Pete, you got anything to say about Indybay "leftist" editors?
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