Library administrators involved in cover up
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 16, 2010, Freedmen’s Town – Houston Public Library Director Dr. Rhea Lawson and Roosevelt Weeks, Deputy Director of Library Administration are involved in a cover up of an investigation by the Houston Inspector General, (a division of the Houston Police Department) for discriminatory practices at the African American Library at Gregory School (“AALG”).
In January, 2010, a patron with a doctorate in African American history attempted to access some public documents at the African American Library only to be denied by librarian Nicolas Castellanos. The documents, like all materials at public libraries, are for patron’s use. After a complaint through the library system resulted in a coverup by Deputy Director of Public Services Meller Langford, the patron filed a complaint with the Inspector General. The Inspector General revealed today that they referred their investigation to Dr. Lawson’s office over a week ago. Lawson’s office claimed today that they “never received it,” and the Inspector General’s materials “got lost in the mail.”
At no time did Lawson’s office attempt to complete the Inspector General’s investigation into the discrimination by African American Library staffers. Nor did they attempt to actually discern if they even received the complaint, instead they went right to cover up mode. Now that the adminstrative complaint procedures have been revealed as a sham, legal options are being considered.
In the meantime, the AALG continues to waste over $400,000 per year in salaries for nine staffers to sit around and read the sports pages, play on facebook and otherwise waste taxpayer dollars because the library, designed as an archive, has less than 12 linear feet of archival material and offers nothing to the surrounding low income community or any City of Houston residents. The AALG has few if any customers. The 23,000 square foot building was rehabbed at taxpayer’s expense of over 10 million dollars and now sits as an example of wasteful city government practices.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Timothy J. O’Brien, Ph.D
for Gregory Library Watch
832.771.7263
About
We are a group of concerned activists living in Freedmen’s Town. Our mission is to ensure that the history of working class African Americans in the City of Houston and particularly in the Freedman’s Town Historic District, are represented in the Gregory Library.
Currently the Gregory prefers to sanitize history and include only a top down version. Their top down view omits the people’s history.
Collectively we have spent 80 years living and working in Freedman’s Town to protect and preserve the history, heritage and culture of African Americans. Together we have brought over $82 million dollars into Freedman’s Town.
As our campaign moves forward we will be posting more information concerning the activities of the decision makers at the Houston Public Library System and the manager of the Gregory Library.
To get involved, CONTACT US: gregorylibrarywatch (at ) gmail (dot) com or call Tim @ 832.771.7263
Gregory Library Watch 