Activists demand answers from group home
Group questions time it took to dismiss employee over sexual harassment allegations
WETHERSFIELD — The women said they just wanted answers.
As a group, they rallied outside Keystone Human Services Inc. in Wethersfield, saying they also want to draw attention to the alleged length of time it took for the company to address their complaints of sexual harassment by a now dismissed employee.
Over the summer, a rally was held by The Self Defense Brigade and Power Up Connecticut, during which employees and former employees of Keystone Human Services protested in front of the group home in Bloomfield, after filing complaints against the now-dismissed employee with local police.
Bloomfield police contacted Key Human Services about the complaints against the worker on July 22 and were told that the company had conducted an investigation and dismissed the worker from the company, police records show.
Though the person was dismissed, the women said they
are not satisfied and are now turning their attention to management, demanding accountability and answers on why their claims were not addressed sooner.
The group protested Friday in front of the primary office of Key Human Services, at 1290 Silas Deane Highway.
Some of the protesters tried to enter the building with Self-defense Brigade Leader Cornell
Lewis with hopes of meeting directly with management.
However, the office door was locked and despite Lewis’ numerous knocks on the door , no management came out to speak with him or the protesters.
“We want to know from Key Human Services and their CEO why these allegations .. .of harassment were not addressed two years ago … now all of a sudden, since activists from Bristol, New London, Hartford and Bloomfield got together…[this agency] wants to take action … but they took no action before … we want to know why these issues were not addressed,” Lewis said.
Keystone did not respond to a request for comment.
In July, the company said: “Keystone Human Services works hard to create an environment where people feel safe, respected, and valued. We were made aware of accusations of sexual harassment by a Key Human Services employee. Per our company policy, the accused employee was immediately placed on administrative leave. A thorough internal investigation was conducted, and appropriate employment action was taken.
“Our foremost commitment is to the safety and security of the people we support and our employees,” the statement said.
One of the protesters, Sophie Kulowski is an advocate at the Sexual Assault Crisis Service in New Britain. She and her co-workers came out in support of people who claimed to be sexually harassed within the company.
“Me and my co-workers are just here to support people facing sexual harassment. I’m here to support Black women everywhere and just say, protect and believe Black women,” she said.