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Ex-NBC Employee Sues Over Creepy Racist Native American Doll "Jokes"

080511nbc.jpg A former NBC studio technician has filed a lawsuit against the network, claiming that co-workers hatefully insulted his Native American heritage by displaying a stereotypical Indian doll on a noose and calling it his daughter. As you can see from this photo, the doll was wearing a sign identifying it as "Baby Wells," and the ex-employee, Faruq "Peter" Wells, says a co-worker threw the doll at him, saying, "Here's your long-lost daughter!"

Wells says the trouble started in June 2009 when he returned to work after a trip to Arizona and colleague Rich Citelli told him to check out the desk of co-worker Evelyn Cordero, where the doll was displayed. "Hey, Pete, do you have any illegitimate children?" Cordero then asked, according to court papers obtained by the NY Post. Taking the "joke" even further, Cordero allegedly said, "Look, it's got your DNA, skin color and you both have the same hair. It's braided just like yours." Ah, Teamster humor.

According to Wells, the best thing a supervisor could think to say after he complained was, "I told her not to put it up." He was also disappointed by the response from Human Resources, which conducted an investigation but didn't find any wrongdoing—and allegedly instructed Wells not to talk about what happened. It gets worse: When he went to his union rep, Wells claims he was told about other racist incidents at the network, including nooses found hanging in the former Conan O'Brien studio. But to be fair, Wells's lawyer tells the Post, "They are very creative racists."

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  • How is that stereotypical? It is symbolic of the collections of Native American tribes that inhabited the western hemisphere. In elementary school, we dressed as Indians and pilgrims for Thanksgiving, and no teacher called us racist for wearing construction-paper feathers atop our heads... In fact, that was the only way to dress as a Native American in elementary school... And that was 2002!

  • PGB

    pete a low life man I've worked with him and he's always looking to scheme, trying tp play an old lady, he no hows ta talk it. but i feel man look at that freak troll opma lompf wife he gots.

  • VWAGYNAC

    What's racist about a guy who claims to go around the world fathering babies (that obviously look like him at least a little) then abandoning them, then someone reminds him of what he's doing?  Surely, his babies look like him - what's racist about that.  What if he was white and there were white dolls, black and there were black dolls, yellow and there were yellow dolls - - isn't it all the same message (what you're doing is wrong)?.  What about his sexism and abandonment?  Is that supposed to be tolerated.  Oh, but its all the big bad corporation's fault right - not the "poor innocent" slob who never did anything to tick off his co-workers who tried to remind him about what he's doing, or at least what he's bragging he does. 

  • It_Never_Ends_At_NBC

    The jury may still be out on whether Comcast is dragging its feet on
    diversity but one thing is certain, Comcast will have to get up to speed
    quickly. Because it's about to have the preverbiall "shit" storm
    brewing over the apparent culture of racism that exists at NBC. Believe
    me it will be hard to run away from the evidence that will be available
    to Faruq "Peter" Wells who is currently suing NBC for discrimination.
    The evidence will show that NBC has fostered an ongoing culture of
    racism despite nearly a dozen discrimination lawsuits filed against it
    in the last 10 years. It has done little to clean its house aside from
    paying off the litigants and pretending the incidents never occurred.
    Their favorite tactic is launching investigations that historically
    blame the victims or outright find that no fault. In fact, their wil be
    pictures of nooses that hung in workplaces and swastikas that adorned
    pipes in NBC's World Headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, as well as
    emails from the perpetrators of these so-called jokes, openly admitting
    their guilt. The last thing NBC wants to happen is that they supplant
    the Rupert Murdoch mess in the headlines. I am not Faruq "Peter" Wells"
    attorney, but a journalist who collected the evidence years ago. But
    the last time a lawsuit was filed, the plaintiffs turned out to be
    people who betrayed their own cause by accepting the 30 pieces of silver
    and slinking off into the shadows never to be heard from again. Perhaps
    this time someone will stand up and fight. By the way the same civil
    rights leaders who went to bat for Oprah, left the workers who filed
    their lawsuits ten years ago, swinging in the wind without a peep
    uttered anywhere.

    DonClarkWilliams
    DClarkWilliams@Verizon.net

  • LICnative

    So the ginger haters are going after Conan? They aren't safe anywhere!

  • JackBrat

    OMG!!  What a crime!  'Felony First Degree Doll Throwing' !! . . .and being 'friends' with Joseph Ortega !! 
    (What is our World coming to?!?)    

  • RJ Mitchell Williams

    I'll bet you're white or a poseur of same...when you have nothing else going for you, you cling mightily to your racism and arrogance and laughable presumptions__hold on to that you'll need it to justify your karma in the coming years...lol

  • JackBrat

    OMG. . . Again!
    And now I've gone and insulted RJ Mitchell Williams in the bargain. . . is there no end to my karma of arrogance?! As we former alter boys are given to intoning at inappropriate time: "Holy-Shit !"

  • VWAGYNAC

    I heard the comment came as a response to the plaintiff's bragging that he had so many (illegitimate) children all over the world with different women  - that his cavalier approach to fatherhood and responsibility upset some co-workers so much - it was apparently represented that this was one of his illigitimate children who he stranded somewhere around the world - - - know the whole story before passing judgment - -

  • garnetlove

    No matter what the story is, it's still wrong to make a racist doll and put someone's name on it. Straight up harrasment.

  • VWAGYNAC

    Who says its racist? Is it racist because someone made a doll which looked like the person who claimed to illegitimately father a bunch of kids around the world and abandon them, when that's probably what those kids would look like? What if the bragger was white - would a white doll be racist? If yellow - would a yellow doll be racist? If black/brown - would a black/brown doll be racist? Especially when the co-workers are trying to get their point across to the bragger? Why is that harrassment? Why is it not harrassment for the bragger to be bragging about mistreating women and children to people who are women and who have children, and to whom the bragger has not paid a dime of child support to? And if he lied about all that, what is that about? If he lied like that he might lie about anything, especially if he thinks it may bring him a paycheck. Who is being abused here? Do you claim to know?

  • Joseph Ortega

    I LOST MY JOB BECAUSE I WAS FRIENDS WITH PETE. KNOW THE WHOLE STORY IS EXACTLY RIGHT.

  • PFOOMA

    Just not funny.

  • OrchidBlack

    Gotta love those creative racists right...

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