Politics & Government
City Of Evanston: City Of Evanston Statement Regarding Reports Of Lakefront Misconduct
In July 2020, City lakefront managers received an email from the four seasonal employees requesting a meeting to discuss concerns regard ...
07/19/2021 4:09 PM
Last July, four seasonal City of Evanston lakefront employees brought serious concerns to the City’s attention regarding the work environment at Evanston beaches and alleged misconduct by lakefront staff. These four employees exhibited remarkable courage and selflessness in coming forward. Our whole community will be safer because of their actions. The City owes them, and the many others who shared concerns through a petition circulated among lakefront staff, a profound debt of gratitude.
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In July 2020, City lakefront managers received an email from the four seasonal employees requesting a meeting to discuss concerns regarding the work environment at Evanston’s lakefront. The City’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and Human Resources Division met with these employees that week and were presented with a petition containing a number of anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, sexism, racism and discrimination by lakefront staff.
The City of Evanston has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and is 100 percent committed to fostering a workplace climate and culture where all staff feel and are safe and respected. Anything less than that is unacceptable. The City of Evanston regrets that there were staff who experienced a work environment that did not meet this standard. Accordingly, upon receipt of the petition, the City was deeply concerned and immediately took the following actions:
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Lakefront staff were strongly encouraged to contact the City’s Human Resources Division to provide specific accounts of the misconduct described in the petition and to identify individuals involved in this behavior. Staff were also strongly encouraged to contact the Evanston Police Department regarding serious allegations of sexual assault and statutory rape.
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All lakefront staff were immediately required to attend a live sexual harassment training, which specifically reiterated the prohibition of sexual harassment and misconduct among lakefront employees and the consequences of violations. It also focused on the prohibition of sexual conduct and behavior involving minor employees and coworkers and reminded staff that off-duty misconduct was also inappropriate and unacceptable.
A trusted Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department employee was identified and designated to serve as a liaison with the City’s Human Resources Division to receive any complaints and concerns from lakefront staff.
A followup meeting was held with the four employees who provided the petition, where a collaborative plan was agreed upon to ensure safety and communication for the remainder of the 2020 season.
In fall of 2020, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department reached out to the four employees and invited them to be a part of 2021 season preparations.
In February 2021, the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department met with the four employees to share remedial and additional training that would be required of lakefront staff for the 2021 season. Also presented were updated policies dealing with the other concerns they had previously raised in 2020, including compensation, COVID-19 safety protocols, and issues with difficult beach patrons.
One male employee was not rehired for the 2021 season after further discussions with lakefront staff.
The City is confident that these measures have improved the work environment on the lakefront. That said, the City is also aware that this is only the beginning. It takes ongoing, sustained work to transform a culture, and every resident, every beach patron, and, especially, every lakefront employee is entitled to full transparency regarding all City actions and processes to date and plans and systems established to ensure safety in the future.
Therefore, the City of Evanston will be engaging an outside firm to conduct a thorough, impartial investigation of every aspect of the situation, and will be sharing further updates with the community in the near future.
This press release was produced by the City of Evanston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
