Manager says she lied to Hamilton’s brother about job
A former manager at the Milwaukee County Transit System says she was ordered to lie to Dontre Hamilton’s brother about the reason he was being passed over for a job cleaning county buses.
“I believe (Dameion) Perkins would have been hired but for the fact that he was Hamilton’s brother and the protests about Hamilton’s death,” said Sandra Goins-Jones, former head of talent acquisition and development for MCTS, in a declaration made under penalty of perjury.
Her statement is included in a newly filed lawsuit by Perkins in U.S. District Court over his failure to land a job with the county last year. Perkins was an outspoken critic of law enforcement agencies after his brother, a 31-year-old unarmed black man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, was shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer at Red Arrow Park in 2014.
Without even seeing the suit or Goins-Jones’ statement, Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun was dismissive of the litigation. She discussed the “silliness of the claim” in an email exchange accidentally sent to the Journal Sentinel.
“This should be a slam dunk,” Daun wrote Thursday. “Can someone send me the complaint?”
Perkins’ attorney, Janet Heins, defended her decision to take the case to court.
“We believe the facts of the case speak for themselves — the way Dameion Perkins spoke up for his brother and paid the price for his free speech,” Heins wrote.
The lawsuit says Perkins applied for a cleaner/tanker position with the transit system in late 2016. Goins-Perkins reviewed the application and found that Perkins met all of the qualifications for the job.
During a job interview, Perkins disclosed that he was Hamilton’s brother and that he was “fighting for justice for my family” in recent years. The suit says Perkins had made “numerous public statements … criticizing the Milwaukee Police Department and other public entities for their negligence and deliberate indifference in handling his brother’s situation.”
From that point on, those involved in the hiring process referred to Perkins only as “Dontre Hamilton’s brother.” Last year, the city agreed to pay a $2.3 million to Dontre Hamilton’s young son to settle claims made by Hamilton’s family.
Goins-Jones, who was let go by the transit system in February 2017, said in her statement that she was directed by two individuals — Sandra Kellner, chief administrative officer, and Sylvana Radmer, director of human resources — to tell Perkins the job had gone to a more qualified candidate.
“That was false,” Goins-Jones said in her statement, which was signed Nov. 1. “MCTS had not filled the position.”
She continued: “Kellner and Radmer stated they did not want the negative attention that having Perkins around would bring.”
The suit says there were actually four bus cleaner positions that were vacant at the time and that Perkins was the only candidate for the jobs. Perkins and Goins-Jones talked about his case with a Milwaukee County Board committee late last year.
County auditors found last year that the transit system needs to hire more women and minorities. Perkins is African-American.
Perkins is asking the county and Kellner and Radmer for back pay, punitive damages and legal fees.
In her official statement, Daun said: “The county believes Mr. Perkins’ claims to be meritless and looks forward to proving that in court. Beyond that, the county will not comment further on pending litigation.”
Daun, who urged a reporter to delete her email exchange with other county officials, had originally recommended saying the case was “utterly meritless,” according to those emails. She also complained that Perkins had not first filed a notice with the county that he might file a lawsuit.
Heins, an employment lawyer, said there was a reason for that. Perkins is claiming his constitutional rights were harmed, she said. She said she was not raising any issues under state law.
In particular, Heins said Perkins was denied his right to free speech and association as well as equal protection.
“I never cease to be amazed by Milwaukee,” Heins said of how Perkins was treated. “It defies belief.”