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“We
had to evacuate the Perelman Building because we heard there was
a bomb outside, in the front of the building in a little parking
space. We had to ask the staff to follow us to the nearest exit,
but a lot of the staff didn’t want to leave. Guards who
had been around for a long time couldn’t remember the training
and had to improvise, since we hadn’t been updated in years.
These problems shouldn’t fall on guards to make up a response
as they go: training should be refreshed regularly.”
-Officer Dynnita Bryant
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“The guards
are positioned there to protect the art. We’re not equipped
with radios in the galleries and AlliedBarton’s rule is
that you can’t put your hands on people. So there isn’t
really anything we can do if a piece of art is stolen.
I was given a whistle
at one point, but my supervisor said he didn’t know when
I should use it. At one point someone blew their whistle because
a woman had fallen, but no one had training on how to respond
and we have been told that if we leave our posts we can be suspended.”
-Officer Bobby Gillette
Our Video Message To Incoming Museum Director Timothy Rub asking for a dialog with our city’s security guards.
THE COMMUNITY SPEAKS
"We see this as a civil rights issue. It is the largest effort
to raise African-American workers into the middle-class in our city’s
history." - Bishop Dwayne Royster (Pictured Right) of the Living
Water United Church of Christ in Philadelphia, PA
97% of the private security guards in Philadelphia are African-American.
"The people guarding this priceless art are living in poverty," said Katherine A. Black, an Art Museum member and president of the Coalition of Labor Women. "I'm here supporting their right to form a union, and we're calling on the new president to support that effort. Even though he's not directly involved, he has tremendous influence." Read Full Article