As it turns out, it was all racial. An investigation by a Philadelphia newspaper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, found that the initial contract was canceled because Arlene Ackerman was fed up with the district giving contracts to “white-owned” companies.
So, after telling other PSD administrators she would make sure “all these white boys didn’t get contracts,” Ackerman canceled SDT’s contract and diverted it over to IBS, which had black ownership.
After Ackerman’s stunt was publicized, SDT sued, and the six-year legal odyssey finally ended Monday with a victory for the plaintiffs. A jury ruled that the district, along with Ackerman’s estate (she died in 2013), must pay out $2.3 million in damages. The damages cover $2.1 million in lost profits along with a small sum of compensatory damages.
“It’s been a long, hard journey. Justice was served,” SDT attorney Michael Homans told the Inquirer.
PSD says it is exploring a possible appeal.
This leaves one simple question . . . who is creating racism? Is it white people or people of other ethnicities, or both?
Francis Dougherty, a member of the school’s reform committee, was fired after leaking Ackerman’s racist deeds to the press. Once again, justice was served, when he received $725,000 in compensation.
But before you go thinking that Dougherty is some sort of saint whistleblower, the man pleaded guilty to
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I’m glad they won! You can’t do stuff like that & get away with it! Karma!!
If this ever does happen many people will suffer! There are people that will fight back & not in a good way.