[lbo-talk] HUAC comes to Pacifica Radio Again

Joseph Wanzala jwanzala at hotmail.com
Tue Mar 14 07:52:09 PST 2006


Bernard White froths at the mouth in WBAI's hallway

Posted By: Steve Brown <Send E-Mail> (66.65.76.39) Date: Monday, 13 March 2006, at 11:54 p.m.

Was anyone a witness to -- or does anyone have knowledge of -- the latest episode of Bernard White losing it at WBAI?

This morning, Monday, 3-13-06, at approximately 10 AM and thereafter (according to one eye-witness who has talked and two others who are too terrified to talk but may soon change their minds), Bernard received a piece of information [a very interesting piece that I will not yet reveal] that propelled him out of his chair and into the station hallway, frothing at the mouth, shrieking at the top of his lungs, bellowing crude racist insults clearly directed at Indra Hardat in her office down the hall.

Then -- and not for the first time in the past few days -- he menaced Indra, towering over her in what must have been a deliberately intimidating confrontation, literally screaming into her face while pumping his fist threateningly back and forth.

Shortly thereafter I was told that Bernard's behavior [and for the same reason] was aped by Erroll Maitland, also running through the hallway pumping his fist in the air in anger, appearing to threaten all in his path.

One witness describes coming to the station these days as like living in the South Bronx, where rival gangs are shooting at each other and all you can do is keep your head down to keep from getting beaten up, knifed, or shot. He and others fear coming to the station.

They claim that Bernard and Erroll and others have instituted a reign of terror in which staff members have literally been beaten up on the premises. But actual beatings no longer have to be administered, since all, evidently, have received the message: Don't cross Bernard or you will soon be nailed to one.

According to two staff members, it was not just "little people" but actual management personnel such as Janet Coleman, Kathy Davis, and others who witnessed these and other volcanic and abusive outbursts by Bernard, mostly directed against Indra in order to intimidate her into doing or not doing a particular thing that he wanted. But neither Coleman nor Davis nor the "little people" have agreed to sign affidavits attesting to Bernard's crude, racist language and physicial intimidation (yet).

But at some point, staff members who see and know what is going on will have to decide whether to blow the whistle on bullies like Bernard and Erroll even if it means calling the police. It is not fair to leave Indra standing alone in the face of such blatant macho intimidation. She needs some support, both moral and physical, in order to do her job.

When are the people at the station going to speak up? Even anonymous postings would help -- at least they would get the information out. And this would help throw Bernard out. Otherwise he will continue to terrorize the station and the general manager like a petty despot.

As Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [or women] to do nothing."



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