Omar Thornton Victim of Racism and Union Management Corruption

Omar Thornton Victim of Racism and Union/Management Corruption

(With Permission from Broadway Stagehands Democracy)

The editorial staff held a meeting yesterday regarding the murders in Connecticut. We concluded that when Omar complained to union and management about racism that the Teamsters and Management built a phony case of stealing against him to cover their Racism and Lack of Union Democracy. We have seen the same story repeated over and over again in Local One IATSE. Complain and they set you up. Omar was not correct in his shooting spree but he too was a victim.

Kristi Hannah, girlfriend of Omar Thornton, recalls gunman's goodbye, racism concerns

BY Matthew Lysiak In Enfield, Conn., and Corky Siemaszko
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Originally Published:Wednesday, August 4th 2010, 11:37 AM
Updated: Wednesday, August 4th 2010, 12:06 PM

CT shooting suspect Omar Thornton with his girlfriend at left Kristi Hannah.

Hill/AP

Authorities converge on Hartford Distributorsin Manchester, Conn., Tuesday.

The girlfriend of the Connecticut truck driver who killed eight of his co-workers said Wednesday that on the morning of the massacre "he was in a daze."

Speaking exclusively to the Daily News for the first time since Omar Thornton ended his deadly rampage by shooting himself, Kristi Hannah said she did not he was planning to unleash hell - but she knew something was not right when he left her apartment.

"That morning he seemed like he was in a daze," she said, speaking at her mom's house. "His eyes weren't right. They were empty. I kept asking him what was wrong but he wouldn't tell me."

Thornton, she said, "was quiet."

"He gave me a weird hug," said Hannah. "It was really long. And a kiss and said goodbye. He looked at me hard and told me he loved me."

Then he was gone.

A short time later, Hannah said, the cops showed up.

"Two detectives showed up asking for Omar," she said. "I texted Omar and asked, 'Why are two detectives at my door? You've never done anything wrong in your life.' He didn't answer. I texted him again, 'Are you okay?'"

Still, there was no answer from Thornton.

Then, Hannah said, she saw the reports flashing across the screen of her TV and a horrible realization set in.

"I saw the news and I collapsed on the ground," she said. "I couldn't even move. I felt so sick."

Hannah said that all their plans for the future crumbled in an instant.

"We were engaged, we were talking about having a family," she said. "I fell in love with him because he was the most gentle man I had ever met. His eyes were so kind. He would never hurt another creature."

Hannah said she can't reconcile her memories of Thornton with the cold-blooded killer who turned the beer and wine wholesaling business where he worked into a slaughterhouse.

"Omar was very kind," she said. "His sister had a drug problem and Omar spent a lot of time caring for his nephew."

Hannah also backed up claims by Thornton's kin that the 34-year-old gunman finally snapped after years of being subjected to racist taunts by co-workers.

"Everyone of \[the victims\] was a person I heard Omar mention," she said. "He didn't go around randomly shooting people. He knew these were the people who harassed him."

Thornton, a black man, "was very sensitive about his race," said Hannah.

"If you called him a n----r he would go off," she said. "But he kept it inside. He kept it all bottled up."

Thornton was reportedly about to be fired for stealing cases of suds, but his girlfriend denied he was a thief and claimed he was a good worker who was recently promoted to driver.

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Sunday, July 12, 2009

Michael Jackson’s Hometown Tribute Brings Together Extended Family

By Kari Lydersen

A fan holds up a photo of the Jackson 5 at the Gary, Ind., memorial celebration Friday. Photo by: Scott Olson / Getty

Michael Jackson’s cousin Phyllis Fossett Turner skipped a family reunion in Little Rock on Friday to attend the memorial service for the pop star in his hometown of Gary, Ind.

But the event, held in the 6,000-seat minor league baseball stadium where Jackson played to adoring fans in 2003, turned out like a reunion itself for Jackson’s local extended family, most of whom did not attend the Los Angeles service.

About 20 Jackson cousins – ranging in ages over five decades – sat in the front row of folding chairs on the infield of the packed RailCats’ US Steel Yard stadium to watch local performers pay homage to Michael. They wore white T-shirts adorned with photos of Jackson posing witheach of them during his ‘03 visit, with the words “RIP” on the front and “Reunion” on the back.

Michael’s father Joe Jackson arrived two hours into the service, flanked by bodyguards, as the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. was speaking. The Jackson patriarch briefly took the stage to greet the crowd and accept a 7-ft.-by-4-ft. granite plaque – etched with Michael’s tip-toe pose and his birth and death dates – from Gary mayor Rudy Clay, who is aiming to turn Michael’s childhood home into a museum.

“I’ve said it time and again, if we can do it for Elvis we can do it for Michael in Gary, Indiana,” said Clay. “Now we are going to make it happen with junkyard tenacity.” The Jacksons moved from the city when Michael was 11.