LA Daily News, Editorial: Cash Cow: County Pays Up after Cult Harassment - Santeria
22 Mar 2001
What do a cow's tongue, a secret settlement, no criminal charges and
a payoff spell? Government at its absolute worst.
Los Angeles County officials this week demonstrated an appalling lack
of accountability, management integrity and acknowledgement of the
public's right to know all the facts in disturbing charges brought
by two county employees.
The facts are these. Two Los Angeles County employees filed a lawsuit
charging that they were victims of religious harassment after complaining
that their supervisor gave preferential treatment to members of the
Santeria religious group, an Afro-Caribbean religion that melds Catholic
practices with non-Christian beliefs.
Shortly after making those complaints, Julie Scheuer and Kathryn Sierra
came to work to find a bloody cow's tongue hanging outside their
Lancaster welfare office. It is considered a ritual act of the Santeria
religion.
Instead of openness and a thorough investigation, the Los Angeles
County Claims Board approved an $85,000 payoff and forced the two
whom complained about the harassment to keep quiet,
So there was enough evidence to warrant paying out $85,000 to Sheuer
and Sierra, but not enough evidence to fire or even punish the guilty
parties, who are also county employees. Sheriff's investigators
apparently didn't pursue the probe far enough to find out who did it.
Talk about absurdity.
The public has a right to know whether religious cults are running
county offices and harassing county employees. That includes a
thorough investgation.
The government belongs to us, not them, and officials should live by
the same rules as the rest of us.
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LA Daily News
March 22, 2001
CASH COW
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