The Ben Gilman Medical and Dental clinic and the Spring Valley NAACP have reached a possible agreement in a civil rights dispute alleging that the clinic’s closing on Saturdays was unlawful. But now the state took over administration of the complaint, causing the National Association for the Association of Colored People chapter to question the settlement’s future.The negotiations began after a civil rights complaint was filed by the NAACP in September with the county Human Rights Commission. In the complaint, the NAACP alleged, among other things, that the closings on Saturdays, in observance of Shabbos, unlawfully imposed the owners’ religious beliefs on others. The closings were specifically unlawful, the NAACP maintained, because the clinic’s operator, Monsey-based Community Medical and Dental Care Inc., had received millions of dollars in federal funding.
Willie Trotman, who brought the complaint as president of the Spring Valley NAACP, said he was bringing the complaint not as a private citizen but in his role as head of the Spring Valley NAACP and on behalf of the entire community.
According to a copy of a letter written by the county human rights commissioner, Mendel Hoffman had agreed to consider opening on Saturdays for an eight-week trial period; to maintain a diverse, multilingual staff at the Ben Gilman clinic; and to provide staff members diversity training, among other terms. Hoffman is president of Community Medical and Dental.
However, early this year he said he had not been granted rabbinical authority to comply.
Now comes worth that the state took over the case, when asked S. Ram Nagubandi, Rockland’s human rights commissioner, confirmed that his office had been directed to transfer the case to the state Division of Human Rights’ regional office in Peekskill.
(Source: Journal News)
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5 Responses
the NAACP protest is clearly anti-semtic in nature, other clinics are open on saturday. ALso the federal funds I presume are for billed services rendered, not grants and even if they were grants it was given this money with the full knowledge by the government.
NAACP is a clear example of the oppressed becoming the oppressor!!
To call the protest anti-Semitic is wrong and hypocritical. The NAACP is targeting the medical facility. The irony is if Orthodox Jews were denied services or were made to jump through hoops for programs, they would be the first to scream and shout. And they would be right to do so.
What’s good for one is good for another. First off, the issue goes beyond being opened to Saturdays. There have been complaints that people of color and non-Orthodox don’t get quick service or service. And the fact remains if you take government subsidies you have to be open to all people.
What has been holding the CP’s of the country back are organizations like the NAACP! The NAACP realizes if the CP’s got anywhere in the country, they wouldn’t need the agency. If you keep them on the slave mentality they will think altz kimt zey. The proof is if you look at the CP’s who “made it” such as Supreme Court Justice Clarance Thomas. If there was no NAACP and by extension groups headed by Sharpton and Jackson yemach sh’mom, the sh’choyrim would be much better off.
The clinic should not have offered to settle.
The mere fact that a clinic is closed on Shabbos and Jewish holidays does neither discriminates nor violates any law; in fact such a law may be unconstitutional, since it would violate the right of Orthodox Jews to do business without violating their religion. In fact, many doctor offices close Sunday or weekends; according to this complaint all of these doctor offices are violating the law; an absurd proposition.
Where is the ACLU, ADL and other organizations which are supposed to protect our rights?
I think it is insain what the NAACP does just to get attention.All this is not about the peoples rights its about causing more problems for the jews in this case and for whom ever is not a “CP” in many other cases.If whatever religion Willie Trotman follows said that you cant have the clinic open on the seventh day of the week I have a feeling it would not be looked at as a violation to the peoples rights according to the NAACP.This is also no the first time that the NAACP has caused problems in the monsey area I know that an elderly jew who owned a buisness was threatened by the NAACP that they will sue because he doesnt have enough “CP” working for him.All they do is try to cause problems for the public and they are never satisfied with all of the government grants that they get,the extra care that they are given,or just the fact that things are made so much easier for them!!!Have a great Pesach