A Club…Addendum 3 – FOIA...finally!!

Greetings:

It’s been a while since I posted regarding last year’s sexual harassment complaint against me during my Peace Corps service. It’s not that this hasn’t been on my mind – I suspect you realize there isn’t a day that goes by. After a year of communication with the PC/FOIA office and repeated intercessions by my attorney and congressman, FOIA finally came through with another report on August 26, 2016.

I read it and shared it with a few volunteers to get their take (again, wondering if I wasn’t completely crazy) – and then I had to put it aside not only because it took an emotional bite out of me, but I honestly had a physical reaction to the whole thing. In fact, I only skimmed it first and couldn’t bring myself to open it up again for another six weeks. I just couldn’t believe how much I pissed some of these people off. I mean it was obvious that there were volunteers who were put off by my manner: “Bill, I just don’t like you!” But to strike out like this was beyond imagination.

The most common response from the volunteers with whom I shared the report was disgust with the whole situation and a couple even suggested I publish the whole thing so everyone could judge for themselves. Well, I’m not going to do that – maybe after the entire group leaves service – but I have decided to post some of it to give you an idea of how an intense irritation with someone can result in this type of action; additionally, you may get a sense how self-serving conclusions can be agenda-driven despite all evidence. If you want a copy of the whole thing many of you have my email, or you can message me on FB. As I’ve said before – feel free to make any comments below, I’m not going to delete any. This is a long entry (surprise, right?), but hey, the document was ninety pages (count ‘em).

So, let’s get into, shall we? Now keep in mind that our constant association as a group started on March 11, 2015 with a couple of days in Philadelphia. Phase I in Albania ended on May 15, 2015. Phase II, where we went off to our sites, lasted until June 20. And then we came back for two more weeks for Phase III and finished up the first of July. The complaint was submitted on July 14, 2015.

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Tuesday, July 14, 2015 1:22 PM [Albania, 7:22pm]

To:                  Office of Civil Rights

Cc:                  adp@peacecorps.gov

Subject:         Sexual Harassment Complaint

Dear OCRD:

I am a member of Peace Corps Albania [redacted]. I am filing this complaint through the OCRD because I am uncomfortable filing it locally – here in Albania – because of concerns about whether it would be properly addressed by the local staff. I will detail these concerns later in this email.

This complaint is in reference to a fellow member [redacted] William Martin. During out [sic] group’s time in PST (approx. March 15 to May 15 of this year) I found Bill’s behavior toward female PSTs/PCVs to be inappropriate, even during sessions on sexual assault and “unwanted attention” where there were ground rules aimed at keeping those sessions safe spaces. Over the last several months, in different contexts, I have seen him make provocative (suggestive) remarks to female volunteers, be overly familiar in the way he touches them and make diminishing (objectifying) remarks to them. Yet, throughout this time I have not spoken up. Bill is well liked by many volunteers and those of us who views his energy as “unsafe” have given him wide berth and left it to those in his circle to deal (or not deal) with his behavior as they deem fit.

On Sunday, June 28th, many members of our group attended a karaoke event at an Elbasan bar. Bill helped set up the event and was acting as the emcee. At one point – standing in the middle of the room, speaking in a microphone, with everyone watching – Bill started to banter with a fellow PCV, [redacted], who was seated nearby, Bill asked her if she was going to sing karaoke. She said no and after more banter Bill said to the audience, “You know guys, [redacted] is more than just eye candy.” Awhile later, he pulled her out of her chair and started to dance with her. She indicated that she didn’t want to dance and tried to leave the dance floor several times, but Bill insisted on dancing with her. Finally, another female member of our group intervened by coming onto the dance floor to escort [redacted] away. Later, [redacted] came over to where I was sitting and made an annoyed/sarcastic remark to the effect of, “It nice to know I had to come all the way to Albania to be assured that I’m not eye candy.” She was annoyed by what had happened but was not visibly shaken. However, when I asked her directly, “are you upset by that” she said that she didn’t like it and that it was uncomfortable for her.

At several other points in the evening Bill pulled women up on the dance floor. Did he ask them if they wanted to dance? Not that I am aware of, but I wasn’t watching that closely. However, in one instance, the woman was seated at my table and I am sure that he didn’t ask before he dancing [sic] with her. She is a person who is not a member of our group and, to the best of my knowledge, did not know Bill and while she was dancing with him I wondered if she was comfortable with the situation. Although I was virtually certain that Bill would not attempt to dance with me, I felt anxiety about what I would do if he did pull me onto the dance floor – because I know that it goes against my grain to be coerced in that way but I wasn’also [sic] didn’t want to kill the vibe of the party. Then, the day after the event I talked with [redacted] – another member of [redacted] – who told me the reason I hadn’t been able to find her later that evening was that she left in response to Bill’s “inappropriate” behavior. Like me, she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have approached her to dance but she felt uncomfortable thinking that he might.

In talking with [redacted] about what happened during the karaoke event, [redacted] another member of [redacted], related a story about Bill that is yet another example of his pattern of behavior. One day during PST in Elbasan, [redacted] was having lunch at a local fast-food restaurant. Bill was seated at a table near the door and as a group of our language/culture teacher – all young women – entered, he greeted them saying, “Come over and give me a kiss.” [redacted] reports that they did as Bill asked and says he wondered at the time whether they understood that Bill’s behavior was inappropriate.

In PST, we spend multiple training sessions discussing the problem of “unwanted attention” from Albanian men and yet that sort of unwanted attention occurs in our midst – PCV to PCV. In training we also discuss the social pressures that cause PCVs to stay silent when a situation seems uncomfortable or inappropriate. I don’t know how many PCVs have been made to feel uncomfortable by Bill’s behavior and remarks, but he’s an extremely popular guy and I wonder if there are people who don’t want to rock the boat. I myself feel like I should have spoken up earlier but talked myself out of it because he seems so well liked and I kept telling myself it wasn’t my business to speak up.

And so, I am filing this complaint in the hope of curtailing Bill’s behavior, his harassment of other volunteers; his pattern of crating offensive, seemingly unsafe environment for bystanders; and also because there is the possibility that, left unchecked, Bill will exhibit inappropriate behavior with the Albanian students he will be teaching in his permanent assignment. I am filing this complaint as a bystander because I am no longer comfortable seeing his ongoing pattern of behavior and not speaking up. [redacted] knows that I am filing this complaint and is supportive of it – as are [redacted]. And, if needed, all three are willing to speak to the circumstances I’ve described here.

And now to the issue of my reluctance to file this complaint to the PC Albania staff. There are a number of people on the staff who I trust a great deal and who – I am reasonably certain – would take this complaint seriously. However, all of them are direct or indirect reports to Earl Wall and I have concerns about having him handle this complaint. I fear that he would minimize the complaint and/or not investigate fully or appropriately; I also worry about possible retaliation for having filed the complaint. Why? Because I have been told by multiple [redacted] PCVs that Bill is one of Earl’s “favorites.” Bill has told these members of [redacted] that Earl gave him the “inside scoop” on a [redacted] PST who ET-ed [WKM: note, ‘ET’ means ‘early termination’ of service] and it appears that the story Bill was recounting contained information that could have come only from Earl. Bill has also told these same PCVs that Earl “asked his advice” about the person who ET-ed in advance of sending her home.

I feel caught in a Catch-22 situation here. I worry that I am putting myself at risk by blowing the whistle on Bill because he appears to be Earl’s confidant. At the same time, I feel that there is a huge principle at stake here: that people like Bill get away with inappropriate behavior because no one wants to take the risk of naming the elephant in the room out of fear of possible consequences. Even as I write this, I wonder whether filing this complaint will backfire on me…and isn’t that what the training is about…about not being afraid to speak up?

I don’t know what the process is after I press “send” on this email. I am hoping that someone will talk with me and explain how complaints like these are handled so that I can pull the plug if it’s going to end up on Earl Wall’s desk anyway. There is a principle at stake here, but if the investigation is going to be quashed and I end up on Earl’s bad side then there is no positive outcome whatsoever from having filed the complaint.

I hope you understand my concerns on all fronts. Because I never intended to file a complaint about Bill I don’t have a lot of specifics (days, times, behaviors) related to other instances of Bill’s pattern of behavior. I can remember a few things from PST sessions where he was out of line, but only in a general sense. I don’t know how that lack of evidence will affect whether this complaint can go forward.

As you see, I have many questions.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[redacted]

My post of Saturday, February 6, 2016 (“A Club in the Hands of the Politically Correct – Part III”) relates how I learned of the accusation and included part of my response to Earl Wall, the Country Director – the accusation was so general I was pretty much at a loss as I recounted about everything I could think of that gave offense. He didn’t even mention the karaoke party and I didn’t even think to include it in my response. Talk about ironic!! I hit the karaoke party on a post (Sunday, July 12, 2015 “PSTIII, glasses!!, a breather, some down time, and back at it…”) and related what I thought was a good time…the complaint is sent two days later! I am clueless.

The most egregious behavior noted above during the event was that I “pulled” a volunteer out of her chair to dance – one volunteer said to me after her reading, “Bill, I did the same to you!! Did you think I was harassing you?” I just laughed. Another was that I asked for kisses – hmm, an Albanian form of greeting – is it possible this got a little twisted in translation?

Well, the complaint went from the Office of Civil Rights, copy to the American Diversity Program Office at the Peace Corps, and this was the immediate response from Laara Manler, EEO Manager in the PC/Office of Civil Rights Diversity – along with a couple more bits:

On Jul 14 2015, at 9:29 pm [DC 3:29pm], Manler, Laara <lmanler@peacecorps.gov> wrote:

Hi [redacted],

I want you to know that I have received your email and take it very seriously. I will review it in-depth and then have a conversation with my Director about the next steps. Should you fear for your safety or the safety of others, I urge you to talk to someone – your Safety & Security Officer or the Office of Victim Advocacy. Of course, you may contact me as well.

I hope to have more specific information to share with you about this situation by tomorrow or Thursday at the very latest. Please be sure to keep me updated on any future incidents that you become aware of.

With kind regards,

Laara

Laara Manler

EEO Manager

Office of Civil Rights and Diversity

 Peace Corps

1111 20^th St, NW Washington, DC 20526

P: 202.692.2445 F: 202.692.1251

lmanler@peacecorps.gov

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Wednesday, July 15, 2015 12:27 AM [Albania, 6:27am]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Sexual Harassment Complaint

Laara –

Thanks for letting me know that you got my email. I will look forward to hearing back from you later in the week.

I have no reason at all to have concerns about my safety or the safety of others, but I will let you know if I do. I can’t tell if you said something about safety because you are required to or if there was something that indicated that safety might be an issue. If the latter, there is no issue at all. My concern about filing the complaint locally is more about the politics of the situation and not about an actual imminent threat.

Regarding future incidents: I will let you know if I hear of anything [redacted]. I no longer am in a situation where I can observe his behavior.

Thanks again –

[redacted]

On Jul 16 2015, at 8:36 PM [DC 2:26pm], Manler, Laara <lmanler@peacecorps.gov> wrote:

Hi [redacted]

A few things:

·         Could you provide me with the contact details for [redacted]? If you feel more comfortable doing so, please provide them with my contact details and have them contact me directly.

·         Ideally, I’d like to receive an email from them with details of their experiences with sexual harassment during PST/or their service to date

·         To your knowledge, has Bill’s behavior been raised with any training or office staff?

·         Finally, I want to assure you that these discussion – and those I’d like to have with [redacted] are all confidential and I will alert all of you before breaking confidentiality to address these issues with anyone in position of authority.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best,

Laara

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Thursday, July 16, 2015 3:58 AM [Albania, 9:58pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Sexual Harassment Complaint

Laara –

I have reached out to [redacted] with your request. I will let you know when I hear back from them indicating whether they want me to provide their contact info to you or whether they simply want to email you themselves.

I don’t have specifics on whether Bill’s behavior was raised with any staff. At one point there was some gossip that “someone must have talked with Bill because he’s behaving himself better in the sexual assault sessions”. I don’t know if that conjecture was true or not but there was a point during PST where he became much less obtrusive during the sexual assault-related sessions. He still made some inappropriate remarks in those sessions, but not nearly as many as before. Also, I talked with our Safety and Security director Rudi before filing my complaint because I needed to understand the process by which such complaints are handled. During that conversation I did reveal to her that I was talking about Bill because it was clear she was figuring it out on her own.

Let me know if you have other questions. I will get back to you after I hear from the other.

Thanks,

[redacted]

Hmmm, well, let me put the “conjecture” to rest – not one time in all of my Peace Corps experience did anyone, PCVs or PC/Staff, ever talk to me about minding my manners. But, hey, conjecture and gossip were part of the whole thing, right? And as I’m wading through the document, believe me, I’m looking for something a bit more substantive regarding “harassment” specifics.

Since the investigation docs finally showed up, I thought it would be good to check and see how the damned term is defined: “harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks.” And I even pulled up a list!

·         Direct or indirect threats or bribes for unwanted sexual activity

·         Sexual innuendos and comments

·         Intrusive sexually explicit questions

·         Sexually suggestive sounds or gestures such as sucking noises, winks, or pelvic thrusts

·         Repeatedly asking a person out for dates, or to have sex

·         Touching, patting, punching, stroking, squeezing, tickling, or brushing against a person

·         A neck/shoulder massage

·         Rating a person's sexuality

·         Ogling or leering, staring at a woman's breast or a man's derriere

·         Spreading rumors about a person's sexuality

·         Name-calling, such as bitch, whore, or slut

·         Sexual Ridicule

·         Frequent jokes about sex or males/females

·         Letters, notes, telephone calls, or material of a sexual nature

·         Pervasive displays of pictures, calendars, cartoons, or other materials with sexually explicit or graphic content

·         Stalking a person

·         Attempted or actual sexual assault

For all the energy in the complaint and ongoing communications, most of what came out was “Bill is altogether obnoxious, attention seeking, behaves inappropriately, and he made us feel uncomfortable.” At the same time, the main reason for not addressing it locally – having some communication on it – was that I had “ingratiated” myself with the staff, I was a confidant and close friend of the Country Director, and, finally, I was popular with most of the volunteers.

On July 16, 2015 at 9:59 PM, [DC 3:59pm], Manler, Laara <lmanler@peacecorps.gov> wrote:

Thanks [redacted]. May I ask wat [sic] Rudi’s response was to your allegations?

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Thursday, July 16, 2015 4:23 PM [Albania 10:23pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Sexual Harassment Complaint

Rudi was not surprised to hear that I was Talking about Bill. She did a good job of staying neutral and not offering personal opinions about him (see exception below) or about how I should handle this – she wanted to leave it up to me. A few of the other things we covered:

·         We discussed that one alternative to filing the complaint would be to “keep it local” so that the complaint would not be official, but Bill would be “counseled” about his behavior. I seriously considered this option for a few days but then decided to go ahead with the official filing. If you want me to explain why I can, but would prefer to do it over the phone only because it’s hard to explain it clearly in writing.

·         When I told Rudy [sic] that one of my concerns in filing the complaint was Bill’s friendship with Earl, she told me that Bill and Earl are not friends. On the one hand I believe her, but I also believe that Earls has shown some poor professional boundaries in his dealings with Bill and that makes me question his judgment.

·         At a couple of points in the conversation Rudi acknowledged that “Bill gets away” with behavior that might not fly from a different PCV. She said something to the effect of “he’s older and so he sort of gets a free pass on some things.”

That’s all I can remember right now. If I think of anything else I will let you know.

Again, let me know if you have other questions.

[redacted]

So, let’s turn to the “supporting” communications:

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Monday, July 20, 2015 8:00 AM [DC 2:00pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         [redacted]

Lara [sic],

[redacted] asked me to send you a note regarding the behavior of William (Bill) Martin, a fellow PC volunteer in Albania. I have observed behavior that I would consider inappropriate on several occasions (overly familiar language and touching of fellow volunteers and Albanian staff) and attention seeking language and behavior. However, the incident of interest was at a party of June 28th to [redacted].

[redacted]. However, Mr. Martin was so loud, attention-seeking dominating and altogether obnoxious that it made us feel very uncomfortable. He was overly familiar with many of the volunteers touching them in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. The touching was not overtly sexual in nature, mostly it was around the head and shoulders. We left the celebration early because we had had enough of Mr Martin’s behavior.

If I can be of any more assistance with this matter please let me know,

[redacted]

On Mon, July 20, 2015 at 2:39 PM, [DC 8:29am], Manler, Laara <lmanler@peacecorps.gov> wrote:

Good Morning [redacted]

Thank you for your email. I have a few questions about your statement:

·         Did you personally experience any behavior by Bill Martin that made you feel uncomfortable?

·         Did you, or do know if anyone, ever spoke to a member of the PC staff about Bill’s behavior?

With kind regards,

Laara

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Monday, July 20, 2015 8:54 AM [Albania, 2:54pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         [redacted]

Laara,

He has made me feel uncomfortable a couple of times. He has grabbed my hands and held on to them while talking to me even after I tried to withdraw my hands. He came and sat uncomfortably close between myself and another female on one occasion. The other female volunteer was so uncomfortable she also got up and walked away, I do not think I am his typical target because [redacted].

I have never spoken directly with PC staff about Bill’s behavior.

Thank you!

[redacted]

Hmm… “uncomfortably close.” At the Karaoke Event? Not hardly, since I would have had to climb into a booth to sit between two volunteers. Certainly, the volunteers remember that during our hub meetings we sat in chairs, right? No benches. If there was a place to sit between two volunteers it was in a chair. And yeah, sometimes hub meetings were crowded. And a new ingredient just to add a bit of spice – “not his typical target”!!! Give me a break.

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Monday, July 20, 2015 10:19 AM [DC 7:22pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         [redacted]

Laara,

No, I do not know if anyone has told him that these behaviors make them feel uncomfortable. I have told him I will not talk to him any more on certain issues because whatever I say will not make any difference to him! It’s harder for him to be condescending to me because, like him, [redacted] and I have made it clear I do not appreciate his behavior.

[redacted]

This is quite a remarkable note. It’s not very specific, just a snapshot of this volunteer’s take on her (?) relationship with me. But this note is strikingly similar to a moment which I related in my response to Earl Wall when this all came down. I noted in my February 6, 2016 “Clubbing” post about a group session we had on GLOW – “Girls Leading Our World.” At the end of the session I offered some comments to my wonder about Peace Corps not giving any attention to empowering young Albanian men. In the post and in the letter, I recounted how this volunteer came up to me after the session with an offer to visit later so she could “set me straight” on gender relations:

·   A few days later I saw her in the hub and I said that I really wanted to hear what she had to say;

o   She declined, saying that I was set in my ways and that it would be a waste of time;

o   It really surprised me to see how upset she was and I persuaded her to sit down. I asked her what exactly did she think I said.

o   Well, she started to tell me what type of person I was – I let her go on a bit and finally was able to cut in, “That’s all fine and well, [redacted], but what exactly did you hear me say, what points do you think I was trying to make?” I could see this irritated her and I told her this was an element of effective communication – restatement for better understanding (we had just had a session on this!).

o   She just threw up her hands, got up and gave me a parting shot: “I knew it wouldn’t do any good to talk to you – set in your male-centered ways!”

• For the rest of Phase I, which was coming to a close, pretty sure I stayed out of her way.
• Finally, during Phase III, I notice a marked change in [redacted]’s behavior toward me.
• We had worked well together in language classes – I always enjoyed [redacted].
• But by the end of the second week [redacted] was pretty cold – now it was likely that [redacted] was miffed simply because I had checked out mentally with PST; but the coolness was something I felt quite a bit.

But to get back to her email: I would not “condescend”? and “…I have made it clear I do not appreciate his behavior.” I guess at a stretch Ms. Manler could connect this to sexual harassment, but doesn’t it sound more like a personality clash on steroids? Well, I’ll have some comments on Ms. Manler at the end of this post.

            On Tue, July 28, 2015 at 8:28 AM, [DC 8:28am], [redacted] wrote:

            Dear Laara Manler,

I know [redacted] has provided you with a very detailed description of what has happened during the Karaoke Event with William (Bill) Martin and possibly given more examples. I very much appreciate her filing the complaint and taking the initiative to do the right thing. As requested, I will also provide my own detailed description of my experience with Bill.

From my own perspective, I have notice [sic] “unappreciated” behavior from Bill back in Philadelphia in March 2015. It was a small incident, but I think it helps explain my discomfort with him later during PST. While in Philadelphia, we played team bonding games, one of which was a tag like game where everyone has to bunch up together in groups. [extended redaction] I did not feel unsafe, just was [sic] a moment my guard went up about him. Our time in Philadelphia was filled with understanding gender rolls [sic] and ways to empower women- [redaction] And now in Albanian [sic], I know a few other volunteers have been kissed by Bill as well. Other volunteers have mixed reactions of the kiss some also felt discomfort and some felt like it was just funny and no big deal. However, I personally just tried kept [sic] my distance and not provoke any further one on one interactions with Bill.

To flash forward to the Karaoke event: I went to the Karaoke event, with a group of my friends to support them signing [sic]. I am not much of a signer [sic]. Bill was hosting the event, it started off great we have a group of very talented singers. [extensive redaction] Again, I didn’t feel that my safety was at risk, just annoyed that he did all that, and that he felt okay with doing all that.

In my opinion, my safety was never threatened, but I was uncomfortable by Bills [sic] actions and I am thankfully able to distance myself from him. I agreed to let [redacted] use my experience as an example because I believe Bill could use someone to correct his behavior. My method of dealing with Bill was to avoid him. I did not feel I was the right person to correct his behavior, however, I feel Bill will do well with someone making him aware of his behavior.

I am not sure of what can be done, or for that matter what should be done, but I do simple hope [sic] he becomes aware of his behavior.

I hope this was helpful and please let me know if any more information is needed.

Thank you,

[redacted]

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Tuesday, July 28, 2015 10:03 AM [Albania 4:03pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Concerns with PCT/PCV

Dear Laara:

I am glad to share the following information with you as the behavior of male PCV (William “Bill” Martin) exceeded the limits of appropriateness toward female PCV [redacted]. [redacted] The incident occurred at a karaoke bar on the afternoon of June 28, 2015. I and about 25 other PCV colleagues were celebrating four birthdays ([redacted]) that occurred on the above date. Bill had been dancing with other women; one a PCV and another who was Albanian. [redacted] was sitting alone when Bill approached her and forced her to get up from her chair and dance with him. [redacted] was trying to resist, as evidenced by her attempts to pull away and free herself from Martin’s grasp. By now, he had reached out and taken both of her hands and pulled her onto the floor and closer to himself, continuing his attempts to embrace and dance with her. She continued her attempts to resist his advances, but Martin would not release her. Finally, [redacted] managed to pull herself free from his embrace and grasp and made her way to a chair [redacted]. The above incident took all of 30-40 seconds. This is how long it took [redacted] to free herself from Martin.

[redacted]

PCV Albania

On Tue, July 28, 2015 at 4:08 PM, [DC 10:08am], Manler, Laara <lmanler@peacecorps.gov> wrote:

Thanks [redacted]. Did you or she ever share concerns about Bill’s behavior with any PC Staff member?

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Tuesday, July 28, 2015 11:33 AM [Albania 5:33pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Concerns with PCT/PCV

Laara,

[redacted] I had a discussion about taking the issue to PC Administration and staff, but decided not to because Bill has ingratiated himself to them. Because of this relationship, we felt it would be a lost cause with negative consequences for us.

As for [redacted], I have no knowledge of what she did nor did not do about sharing this matter with PC Administration and staff.

[redacted]

I’m guessing that despite her offer to have a phone conversation with Ms. Manler as to why the complaint wasn’t handled locally (see above Thursday July 16), my chief complainant decided to follow up. I doubt Ms. Manler ever had any problems with the complaint by-passing the Country Director and going straight to her desk.

From:             [redacted]

Sent:              Tuesday, July 28, 2015 2:36 PM [Albania 8:36pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         Re: Concerns with PCT/PCV

Laara-

I just got a message from [redacted] telling me that she sent you her narrative about what happened that night. I will wait to hear from you about what happens from here.

Earlier today I re-read my original email to OCRD and realized that there [sic] some interesting “layers” to this situation that I think deserves notice and discussion – issues that go beyond the obvious issue of Bill’s pattern of behavior.

·         One of those layers was alluded to in my initial email: that, even as we learn about speaking up and bystander interventions, inappropriate behavior can go on in our midst. I think this happens in part because the person behaving inappropriately is popular and in part because people (me included) feel implicit peer pressure not to be a “party pooper.” In our training we did many role plays and case analyses but I don’t think we ever did none that really challenged people wo think about what it would mean to speak up about a well-liked member of their own group.

·         The other layer has to do with the question: what are the implications of having PCVs believe (even if erroneously) that a staff member is “friends” with a fellow PCV? I don’t know if Bill and Earl are actually friends, but there’s a widespread belief among members of Group 18 that they are “buddies.” There is a perception that Earl tells Bill things that are confidential and there’s a perception that Bill get special (preferential) treatment from Earl. These perceptions (again, acknowledging that they might not be true) also contribute to a type of implicit pressure to keep quiet and I think this is a separate aspect of this complaint that should be looked at by someone in DC.

You may have already teased out these sub-issues – you are trained to understand situations like this one and I know that Peace Corps as an organization tries to be very sensitive to issues of equity, diversity and so on. These points aren’t about Bill’s behavior per se, but they are interesting elements of the situation that have contributed to my (and perhaps others’) reluctance to speak up.

Thanks again for your time-

[redacted]

Really? “You may have already teased out these sub-issues – you are trained to understand situations like this…” Isn’t this being just a little gratuitous with your praise?  

From:             Earl Wall

Sent:              Friday, July 31, 2015 7:10 AM [Albania 1:10pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         PCV William (Bill) Martin

Dear Ms. Manler,

Thank you for your Wednesday call to alert me about concerns raised about PCV William Martin. As we discussed during the call, I planned (and have) asked people about Mr. Martians [sic] behavior during PST and afterwards. Below are my notes on those discussions. I would be appreciative of any thought you may have on these comments.

I do plan to send out a message to our Volunteers reminding them of our harassment policy and to discuss the issue with our Volunteer Advisory Committee which meets next week. I will also discuss the issue with Mr. Martian [sic] next week. Any advice you may have for me regarding that conversation would be most appreciated.

Sincerely,

Earl

Gentian Leka – Training Manager – Much contact with Mr. Martian [sic]

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching

Agim Dyrmishi – TEFL Program Manager – Not much contact

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching

Elsona Cupi – TEFL Program Assistant, Not much contact

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching

·         Elsona was present when [extensive redaction] told the Country Director she had had several arguments with the Trainee, and that the Trainee bothered her by “showing off a lot”.

Lindita Sinani – Language and Culture Facilitator, quite a lot of contact

·         Observed the Trainee hugging a lot

·         Lindita reported that he hugged her twice, which she did not think was inappropriate, but nevertheless she felt uncomfortable with the hug. On the second occasion she pushed him away. He did not repeat hugging after that. Both hugs were on occasions when she was in a group of people. She did not report the incident to Peace Corps because she did not feel that the hug was inappropriate.

·         Lindita reported that the Trainee was well respected in the community

·         Lindita note that on one occasion, Trainee (now Volunteer) [redacted] expressed her dislike of Bill to others in the language class. The dislike apparently related to his “showing off” and domination of discussions.

Erion Kumria – Language and Culture Facilitator, quite a lot of contact

·         No inappropriate touching seen.

·         Erion heard the Trainee say something like “your [sic] more than just a pretty face” to a female Trainee as a complement to some contribution she made to the training.

·         Erion noted that the Trainee frequently would great [sic] others (Trainees and Staff with a clinched fist-type handshake and say “Give me some love”.

·         Erion noted that the Trainee was very helpful in class.

·         Erion, reported to the Country Director that the Trainee was struggling with his language learning and was worried that he (the Trainee) may not be sworn in.

·         It was obvious to Erion that the Trainee and [redacted] did not get along well.

·         Erion reported that the Trainee discussed an incident in culture class that went as follows: The Trainee reported that as he approached his “host brother” in their host village to great [sic] him, that the host brother’s girlfriend hurried off when she saw the Trainee approaching. Erion explained that the girlfriend was probably embarrassed to be seen with her boyfriend in front of a foreigner.

Monica Mukja – TEFL Program Assistant – not too much contact

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching.

Megi – [sic] Xhaferraj – A Language and Culture Facilitator during two weeks of pre-service training and currently the Trainee’s language tutor. Much contact.

·         She did not note any inappropriate contact with herself or other Albanian or American Women that they met together.

·         She noted that on one occasion that the Trainee discussed with her how differently Albanian and American women dress.

Well, this last bit begs for a comment. Megi, as you might note from these posts, has been my longest and most faithful friend following the complaint –  even after her picture got splashed in the national media when Bonnie Scott gave interviews that I was a sexual molester who escaped criminal prosecution because I resigned from the Peace Corps. And even after Peace Corps forced Megi from her position because she wouldn’t disassociate herself from me. Even though I’m in Vlora and Megi is back and forth from Elbasan to Tirana, there probably isn’t a week that goes by that we’re not on the phone with each other checking in.

OK. One thing all the volunteers noticed, and – if they’re honest – had conversations about, was the way Albanian women dressed, especially the young. They always went out dressed in their very best even to the point of being provocative. (Now, how can I possibly say this without sounding sexist?) Megi laughed at my appraisal, saying that you could spot the ones from the villages – who would come to town dressed to make a statement, trying to blend in but ironically with the opposite result. The whole conversation was cultural, nothing more, and definitely not prurient.

Ymer Leksi – TEFL PST Trainer and currently the Trainee’s Counterpart. Much contact.

·         Reported, as did many others did, that the Trainee is a “hugger”, but not in an inappropriate way. Trainee hugs men and women equally.

·         Reports that the Trainee/now Volunteer is exceptionally active.

·         Also noted that the university environment in Elbasan is an environment that rumors of inappropriate behaviors, especially of a foreigner, would spread very quickly. And that he has heard of no rumors or statements about any inappropriate comments or behaviors made by the Trainee/Volunteer.

·         Reported that he herd [sic] the Trainee tell a group of other Trainees that he was tired of hearing them argue with one another.

Marsela Loci – SPA Grants Coordinator – little contact

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching.

Rudina Lubonja – Safety and Security Coordinator – little contact

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching.

Diamante Vito – TEFL PST Trainer – Some contact [pg. 35]

·         No observations nor any rumors heard of inappropriate comments or touching.

Got it. As I stated in earlier “Clubbing” posts, there wasn’t one time during my PST/PCV experience when I was alone with volunteers either at our training sessions or in public – lunch, coffee, whatever. I think I’ve made it clear that I stayed away from the outside social gatherings and opted out of all group recreational trips. (I attended one bar-b-que which I posted Sunday, May 10, 2015). The Karaoke Event was held at a club that a couple of us went to on a few Fridays – not a whole lot to do in Elbasan. We got to know the owner, Dujanmire, pretty well and he offered to let us gather there on a weekend afternoon breaking up our two-week Phase III. I thought the kids would enjoy it – and most of them did and thanked me for putting it together.

It only went for a few afternoon hours, a lot of drinking, a lot of singing and dancing. But reading the above you would think I was out of control. Yeah, I was the emcee – making an effort to get the bashful to share their talents, but after a while it was pretty much on auto-pilot. I danced, I joined in with other kids singing, but quite a bit of time I spent outside or off to the side – remember? I’d lost my glasses and I was dealing with a headache most of the time.

My chief complainant points to my “eye candy” remark. Note that she (I assume a “she”) is the only one who mentions it; if it was so egregious I’m surprised that the individual I directed the response to didn’t speak up about it. This term is so foreign to me and I can’t imagine I would have said this. But I wouldn’t deny the possibility – I am a smart alec; and I’m not being coy here, if I remembered I’d admit it. And if stated, I certainly wouldn’t blame the utterance on too much alcohol – I think I may have had two beers the whole afternoon. 

Probably the bit that caused the most pain in the whole report was the email to Ms. Manler from the volunteer who I “forced” on to the dance floor. While many volunteers with whom I shared the report, have offered their cast of characters – this volunteer I know. She was the only one I pulled out on the dance floor and it was spontaneous and simply an effort (obviously ill-conceived) to include her in the festivities. We had visited a number of times during PST: we talked about our families back in the states, our host family experiences, our site assignments, and about our motivations to serve. In fact, after I finally got the report, I penned a long email to her expressing my deep regret for the discomfort I evidently caused her. She is shy and reserved. I decided not to send it – I didn’t want to cause her any more anxiety feeling she had to reply. I mean, what could she say? Interesting, I think, are the recollections of the moment of this trauma. The different takes on the experience are greater in contrast than many of the events in the Synoptics! 

But how easy it would have been to approach me later, or even the next day: “Bill, you really embarrassed me when you pulled me on the dance floor.” “Really?” “Yes.” “Hell, I am so sorry about that.” Ha, and I probably would have given her a hug to seal the apology! But for the rest of the complainants; if my behavior at the Karaoke Event was so alarming, why not voice these concerns the next day at our hub meeting? Is it really possible that they took this avenue out of fear of repercussions? Are they all that spineless? The best and the brightest? But, hey, rather than take care of the problem now (when everyone at the Karaoke is still around), let’s really nail the son of a bitch with an anonymous complaint and come up with more stuff. Yeah, like “attention seeking,” “inappropriate,” “dominating and obnoxious,” “familiar,” (“…not overtly sexual…”), “made me [and others] feel uncomfortable,” “don’t appreciate his behavior.”

Well, you’ve got the list above as to what counts as “sexual harassment.” I don’t think you have to be too “charitable” to wonder how any of this resulted in a formal complaint – but please come to your own conclusions, and certainly comment if you like.

Nonetheless, the complaint went in and Earl Wall, Country Director, connected with me, and then got back to Ms. Manler:

From:             Wall, Earl

Sent:              Monday, August 10, 2015 5:29pm [Albania 11:29pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         RE: PCV William (Bill) Martin

Dear Ms. Manler,

Greetings from Tirana. I wanted to let you know that I spoke to PCV Martin about the concerns raised by the Volunteers. In my conversation with Martin I:

·         Told him that we take any allegation seriously;

·         That he should be very careful about how is actions and comments could be perceived by others;

·         That he should not concern himself about who the Volunteers were that expressed their concerns; and

·         That I will speak to him again about and additional information/advice that I may get from Peace Corp Washington or any other sources;

In our conversation Mr. Martin acknowledged that his behaviors, such as hugging people or commenting about their looks could be uncomfortable to people and that they could also be misunderstood.

Please let me know anything else that you may have learned about this case and/or if you concur with how I have handled the situation to this point.

Sincerely,

Earl

Please see below a message that I received from Cale Wagner, or Director of Program and Training about PCV William (Bill) Martin:

Dear Earl,

Bill has a loud conversational manner. He often approaches people with an overly big handshake and says things loudly like, “How are you, my friend?”

However, I have not seen him say anything or do anything inappropriate toward other – women or men, but I have only observed him in our hub site or coffee shops outside.

I know he had a disagreement with other members of his language group during Week 2 of PST about disrupting the lessons with too many questions ([sic] which I am sure you witnessed this type of behavior during Hub Days – Bill always raising his hand and adds questions or commentary; Erion told me that several Volunteers in Thane spoke to Bill about his disruptions and the Thane language group was reconfigured. But there was no mention of any inappropriate comments or touching of others.

Please refer to Genti or LCF Erion if more detail is needed.

You said there was another complaint besides Bill?

Best, Cale

Holy hell! I just read that last line. Whether there was another complaint I have no clue. But it was a toxic environment and rumors were all over the place. If there was another complaint, whoever the target was should thank his lucky stars that Bonnie Scott didn’t get wind of it!

Now a bit on my relationship with Earl – “buddies,” right? Well, we weren’t. Other than a greeting when he was at the hub or me in Tirana, Earl and I probably spoke to each other only a couple of times before all this came down. And confidential information? Well, the day before we got our site assignments he pulled me aside and asked for my appraisal on a volunteer in our group in Thane. I gave it to him and followed up with a letter; that was it. He didn’t share with me any confidential information; he asked me to share with him. The whole thing made me uncomfortable (and I told this to a couple of volunteers); within a day I guessed he was finalizing his decision with the rest of the staff to send the volunteer home. Later, when I talked to my counterpart about this, he assured me that my opinion hadn’t affected the decision at all. He also told me that Earl shouldn’t have put me in that position – my response was “yeah.”

Nope. Earl and I were not buddies. But as I’ve said in a previous post, he was always straight with me. And I would have had a pretty tough time over the next few weeks without him calling me every few days to see how I was holding up.

So, I responded to Earl with a letter on August 10, 2015. It was ten-pages and it included everything I could think of that gave offense – I thought about posting the damn thing here but this is long enough, right? If you want a copy, it’s in the FOIA report, let me know and you got it. As I indicated (Saturday, February 6, 2016 “A Club in the Hands of the Politically Correct – Part III”) Earl got back to me about a week later and told me the complaint was history and that I should just go back to work, forget about it. Now, I read the post and I see I dated that conversation the 19th. I must have made a mistake, because I remember there were a few days between that and my notice of termination, which came on the 19th. The month of August was close to the roughest I’ve ever experienced – so not surprising this lapse.

From:             Wall, Earl

Sent:              Tuesday, August 18, 2015 9:05am [Albania 3:05pm]

To:                  Manler, Laara

Subject:         RE: RE: Response to sexual harassment complaint

Dear Laara,

For unrelated reasons from his sexual harassment complaint we anticipate administratively separating PCV Martin from Peace Corps ([sic] or accept his resignation early next week.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

All the best,

Earl

I got word the next day and I related those events in my post of Monday, February 15, 2016 “A Club… Part 4.” So, maybe the week before the harassment complaint was put to rest in Earl’s mind (and in my own to a degree), it certainly wasn’t put to rest in Ms. Manler’s:

From:             Manler, Laara

Sent:              Tuesday, August 18, 2015 5:36 PM [Albania 11:36pm]

To:                  Wall, Earl

Subject:         RE: RE: Response to sexual harassment complaint

Thanks Earl. Based on the communication I have had with the individuals involved in the sexual harassment complaint, it would seem that the message isn’t quite getting through. I would encourage you to think of new and different ways to spread the message about PCT/PCV rights, who they can turn to, and how they might report their concerns.

Best Laara

In fact, who knows what her resolution would have been if my separation from the Peace Corps (due to the application omissions) hadn’t come up? I had made it clear to Earl I wasn’t happy with what I thought was a weak-kneed resolution. I would have liked a more complete investigation. Earl said he understood, but to let it go, and that, considering all the rumors going around, he’d send out a letter to all the volunteers and staff putting me back in good graces. Of course (you couldn’t make this up!), he retired under his own cloud immediately after me, right?

I doubt Ms. Manler would have co-signed on the letter. Nope. Note her remark – “it would seem that the message isn’t quite getting through.” What message? And from when? PST ended over six weeks before and I was happy to finally get away from spending my waking hours with the volunteers and get to work! Earl only told me about the complaint just a week before! The first I knew anything about any of this. And I bet I came out of my apartment only a handful of times over the next two weeks; and when I did I sure as hell stayed clear of out-of-town volunteers. Seriously? Message not getting through?

What I got most from the FOIA report was that Laara Manler was on a mission; well, if you were in her position you’d certainly do everything to justify your job, right? Defender of the oppressed? But I think the report is obvious how desperate she was to get any kind of evidence and at no time seemed to question why there was so little out there – or even considering (for a moment at least) the complainants’ motivations. I was going to give my own thoughts on them, but I think you can figure out what they are. Besides, John Stuart Mill said it pretty well:

Men's opinions, accordingly, on what is laudable or blamable, are affected by all the multifarious causes which influence their wishes in regard to the conduct of others, and which are as numerous as those which determine their wishes on any other subject. Sometimes their reason—at other times their prejudices or superstitions: often their social affections, not seldom their antisocial ones, their envy or jealousy, their arrogance or contemptuousness: but most commonly, their desires or fears for themselves—their legitimate or illegitimate self-interest.

Ahh, but Ms. Manler… I’m sure you’re familiar with Confirmation Bias. The complainants weren’t the only ones’ laboring industriously under that. Ms. Manler had read my ten-page letter to Mr. Wall and this was her response:

From:             Manler, Laara

Sent:              Monday, August 10, 2015 2:08 PM [Albania 8:08pm]

To:                  Wall, Earl

Subject:         RE: Response to sexual harassment complaint

Importance:  High

Good Morning Earl,

Apologies for not getting back to you sooner but I was out of the office all last week. In regard to the email you sent me with observations from staff, the important thing is not how many people were aware of the alleged behavior, but the experiences of those that felt they were victims of behavior. I’d hate to think that because no one had witnessed the behavior, that it would be dismissed.

With regard to Bill’s statement, he seems to justify or explain away his behavior and in addition, seems to have had issues with a lot of different people. The cultures that we come with (his being Southern) can sometimes hold us back or can harbor our unconscious biases. Just because hugging and affection are part of the Southern culture, does not mean we have the right to force it upon others. Remember, (please see slides attached – they come from the New Employee Orientation I conduct with staff every two weeks), intentions do not determine welcome-ness of the behavior. What he intended is not at issue, what is at issue is how the victims were left feeling. Bill clearly dismiss [sic] their discomfort as their being (or wanting him to be) too politically correct.

I urge you to ensure Bill understands Peace Corps policies and I hope you will do your utmost to ensure that the Volunteers in Albania understand Peace Corps policies and what their rights are (see attached EEO & Harassment statements issued by Carrie last August). A new EEO & Harassment statement will be issued soon.

Should you want to discuss this with me in more detail, please let me know.

With kind regards,

Laara

Laara Manler

EEO Manager

Office of Civil Rights and Diversity

Peace Corps

Amazing. It’s a telling remark: “…in addition, seems to have had issues with a lot of different people.” Yeah. If I thought something was screwy I said so, I objected to the bickering, I was obvious in not suffering foolish thinking very well, I did speak up and told people how I felt – and open to any civil dialog. But the complainants could keep their charges of harassment to themselves and I’m supposed to somehow figure this out? Feelings? Perceptions? My “biases” because of my background? My indictment in all of this is directed at Ms. Manler and her rejection of any semblance of objectivity. Pathetic. As far as the complainants…hardly their finest hour.

***

Well, you know the fall-out from of all this: Bonnie Scott, notoriety, damage to personal and professional reputation, little or no response from Peace Corps in the aftermath. Fortunately, a full year after my initial FOIA request, the document provides enough evidence for the courts (here in Albania and in Washington State) to prosecute the libel action against Ms. Scott. Thank God (or whoever) that the action here is still in the works (slowly, slowly) – unfortunately, had I received this information when I first requested it the court case would have finished up a long time ago – before Ms. Scott skipped to the country; fortunately, the statute of limitations in the states is two years. Amazing.

The report offered zero on any internal memos relative to my immediate Peace Corps separation or any information regarding the (suspected) tie-in between that and the complaint. I’ve requested (again) and I’ve had to call on help (again) from my congressman since there is nothing but silence coming out of DC. I doubt anything will come of it – Peace Corps just wants me to go away. I’ll be filing my own complaint with the OIG shortly – just too much crap to let it go, and especially with how the local office treated Megi. I’ll post that when I get around to the final draft – and no redactions; that’ll be interesting, huh?

Congratulations if you made it to this point! And to me, for that matter – this last year has been pretty damned chilly. My best to all of you. XO