Recent leadership shakeups on the Dover Human Relations Commission have left pending discrimination complaints from two local men in limbo, with no plans for resolution in the works.
In late July, longtime DHRC chair Dr. Sam Hoff and vice chair Greg Bunkley were removed from the panel by Dover City Council President Ken Hogan, who said their leadership had caused friction in the community, particularly over issues like the commission’s slavery apology resolution passed earlier this year.
After their departure, the commission chose member Mark Monroe to lead the panel. Last week, Monroe, who had served on the DHRC since 2008, was removed when the city clerk’s office discovered he does not reside in the city.
That leaves newly appointed DHRC vice chair Willie E. Jones in charge of the panel until it can choose a new leader. Jones was appointed by Hogan to replace Bunkley and has never served on the commission before.
Claims left unheard
The shifting of personnel on the DHRC has aggravated two Dover residents who came to the commission alleging racial discrimination.
Maurice Parker claims, following a 2007 disciplinary infraction, he was fired from his maintenance job at Delaware State University because he is black.
Alongside a pending complaint against DSU filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Parker decided in December 2009 to bring his case to the DHRC.
Part of the commission’s duties is to hear discrimination complaints involving city residents, institutions or businesses; evaluate the allegations through a fact-finding and interview process; then make a report to city council as to whether discrimination has occurred in the case.
The commission’s rulings carry no legal weight and the council is not required to take action based on its findings. The commission was established and the process designed following a 2001 Dover police shooting of a black man that sparked intense debate over racism in the city.
Earlier this year, resident Andile Ntozake also asked the commission to consider his complaint of discrimination on the part of the city’s building inspection department dating back to 2005. Ntozake, who is a native of Nigeria, alleges inspectors unfairly cited him for property code violations based on his race and ethnic background.
Parker and Ntozake both went through the DHRC’s “intake” process with Hoff and Bunkley, who interviewed them, and began setting up hearings on the cases that would include testimony from the alleged discriminators, should they choose to speak.
But, hearings originally scheduled for June were cancelled when not enough commissioners were available to constitute a quorum. Though the hearings were rescheduled for the end of July, Hoff and Bunkley were removed in the interim and the hearings were cancelled without notice to Parker or Ntozake.
Parker said after he found out Hoff and Bunkley were gone, he contacted Monroe. But, now that Monroe is gone and Jones is steering the DHRC, he has no idea where his case stands.
“The process really has stopped as of June, nothing has been done,” Parker said. “I did talk to Mr. Monroe and he said he would speak to Mr. Jones. He’s new to the commission, as I understand. I don’t know how he will approach this at all. I’m not clear right now.”
Both men said they can’t help but believe the leadership changes, at least the removal of Hoff and Bunkley, were orchestrated to keep their complaints from being aired publicly.
Ntozake said in his case the city is trying to protect its own agency.
“Dr. Hoff was trying to bring this case and he was fired. They’re trying to make it so we don’t bring this up,” he said. “It’s not supposed to be like that.”
Issues not in the DHRC’s purview
Council President Hogan, who takes full responsibility for the removal of Hoff and Bunkley, said he’s not trying to sweep anything under the rug, but he also believes the DHRC is not the proper forum for resolving either of the pending complaints.
Hogan said Ntozake’s grievance, in accordance with city policy, must be addressed in a formal complaint to the supervisors of the building inspectors whom he claims discriminated against him.
He also said Parker’s complaint involving DSU isn’t within the DHRC’s purview since the university is an arm of state government.
“One of them very clearly has been given the process they have to go through, it’s a city employee and it has to go through [the supervisor]” Hogan said. “And I don’t know what we would have to do with DSU, it’s a state university.”
City solicitor Nick Rodriguez backed Hogan’s assessment of the Ntozake complaint and urged Hoff not to have a hearing on Parker’s case, but Hoff intended to press ahead anyway.
The solicitor did not weigh in on the legitimacy of the Parker complaint, nor is there anything in the city code that seems to prohibit the DHRC from reviewing a case involving DSU.
Hogan added he believes the DHRC needs to spend less time on complaints left over from Hoff and Bunkley’s tenure and more time rebuilding what he sees as a tarnished reputation in the community.
“At this stage of the game, those people need to be doing other things,” he said.
Hoff said he never believed in Hogan’s commitment to the discrimination complaint hearing process set forth by the DHRC.
“We should hope that the newly formed commission retain that most important function of the commission, yet the signals that have come in articles laying out the whole change don’t really give us confidence that will occur,” Hoff said. “Council President Hogan all but denied that authority of the commission to hold those hearings.”
Jones, the new leader of the commission, said he’ll press forward with the two complaints and do so quickly, but he intends for the commission to do its own research in addition to what Hoff and Bunkley had already compiled.
“I think for me or the commission itself to go out haphazardly and start making accusations would not be good for the commission. We have to get all the facts together,” Jones said. “I also think it’s important that we get this matter settled as quickly as possible. These two gentlemen have been waiting in the wings for some time now.”
Parker remains skeptical that his case will ever be heard before the DHRC.
“This process is not working,” he said. “From my experience of what I’ve been dealing with for nearly three years, those [institutions] that are set up to advocate for these issues are not responsive and not reactive and not helpful.”
Email Doug Denison at doug.denison@doverpost.com.
