Despite the National Park Service's pledge to take a zero tolerance approach to sexual harassment incidents, a park superintendent accused of inappropriate behavior against a female employee was transferred to a larger park and had received a cash bonus, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
An investigation of the charges by the Interior Department's Office of Inpsector General found credence in the allegations against DeSoto National Memorial Superintendent Jorge Acevedo, and also uncovered a number of other inappropriate issues for the manager. While the case was referred for prosecution, the U.S. attorney's office declined.
The OIG report, released this past March, said the superintendent "touched the employee inappropriately, made inappropriate comments, and invaded the employee’s personal space. The employee informed us that this contact and attention were unwanted, and that the employee had asked the official many times to stop. The official acknowledged touching the employee and confirmed that the employee had asked him to stop, which he said he did."
PEER on Monday said that since the OIG report became public, Mr. Acevedo was transferred to a position as "partnerships manager" for Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail at his previous salary, and that before the transfer he received a $1,000 performance bonus.
National Park Service officials in Washington did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.
It was a year ago when the Park Service announced a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sexual harassment in the agency.
"Some have asked what it means for the National Park Service to have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment," then-Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said when he explained the policy in a memo emailed system-wide. "I want to clearly state that this means that when incidents of harassment are reported, I expect NPS managers to follow up on those allegations. Specifically, in situations involving alleged harassment, including sexual harassment, I expect NPS managers to initiate an investigation of the allegations and to act promptly to ensure that the harassment, if confirmed, does not continue. I also expect appropriate disciplinary action to be taken if any allegations are verified."
Last September the Park Service's then-deputy director, Mike Reynolds, now the agency's acting director, told the House Oversight Committee during a hearing into harassment in the National Park System that the Park Service had a sound strategy for ridding its 20,000-employee workforce of sexual harassment issues but that "this kind of change is neither easy nor fast."
“If, as the Park Service claims, there is zero tolerance, then why aren’t these firing offenses?” asked PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch on Monday, arguing that the “message points” praising Acevedo re-victimized his victims. “Instead of zero tolerance, the Park Service accords double-digit tolerance to its managers.”
Comments
Esteemed DOI Sec Zinke threatened Alaska Sen Murkowski today if she didn't get on board with the healthcare vote. He told her that he would lock up public lands in her state. As if he doesn't have enough to do. This is our government under Trump. Zinke, the self professed Teddy Roosevelt re incarnate. I suppose Zinke was able to take a break from padding his own expense reports to charge taxpayers for thousands of dollars of travel to his cabin in the woods.
Mr Baker - it sounds to me, in my personal opinion, like you are already steamed about a particular lost in the woods person or case. These aree NOT ignored by the NPS and USFS as witnessed by how many extensive SAR occur every year.
Edited to add: And I have no idea what this has to do with NPS Superintendants and sexual harrassment.
Smokies - Could you please document that Zinke told her "he would lock up public lands in her state"?
Well been 24 hours. Fair to say Smokies is not going to back of his accusation. But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good made up story.
The Alaska Dispatch News on Thursday reported that Zinke had called Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, on Wednesday. He warned them that Murkowski's vote on Tuesday against a motion to begin debate on the healthcare overhaul could have negative consequences for energy and land use in Alaska, the newspaper said. Murkowski's no vote forced Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote to pass the motion by a 51-50 ballot.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-zinke-alaska-idUSKBN1A...
https://qz.com/1039841/donald-trumps-secretary-of-the-interior-ryan-zink...
http://westernpriorities.org/2017/07/27/statement-on-secretary-ryan-zink...
anon - your can throw all the hearsay reports you want out there but there is no evidence that Zinke threatened to "lock up public lands".
"Reuters, established in 1851, is a privately owned company and its credibility is one of the primary, if not the only assets of the company.
Reuters - Wikipedia
Reuters, famously, avoids the use of emotive terms. Their policy is "value-neutral approach".
It has been controversial for them to not use the word "terrorist" in a descriptive or commentary function.
Reuters is a news agency that sells articles to other people, so that they can publish it and make money. Since Reuters wants to sell their articles to both MSNBC and Fox News, and both of their online sites, and both conservative and liberal newspapers, they make their articles as much of "just the facts." that you can get.
MSNBC and Fox News are both offering political spin on news. It is in their favor to deliberately push an agenda, because that's what their viewers want.
Reuters is a news agency that sells articles to other people, so that they can publish it and make money. Since Reuters wants to sell their articles to both MSNBC and Fox News, and both of their online sites, and both conservative and liberal newspapers, they make their articles as much of "just the facts." that you can get.
MSNBC and Fox News are both offering political spin on news. It is in their favor to deliberately push an agenda, because that's what their viewers want."
Everything above cut and pasted from the many results of a google search "credibility of reuters". If anyone labels Reuters in general as "Hearsay reports" you know automatically that they will lie toi you about other things as well.
EC,
I've been out of town but here is some proof of Zinke's threats to Murkowski and Alaska, if you don't have enough proof by now. Speaking of proof, they are looking into these threats made by Zinke and several are calling for his head over it.
Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy https://www.adn.com/politics/2017/07/26/trump-administration-signals-tha...