Homeless people need to be protected under law too

Let’s talk about discrimination for a minute. Firing someone for being homeless is a discriminatory policy. The end.

 

The Clarion Ledger.com had the story by Emily LeCoz. A woman hired earlier this month was fired on Monday by KFC for being homeless. Eunice Jasica had been staying in the Salvation Army lodge since December after losing her job, home, and car.

 

The Salvation Army requires its residents to look for employment daily, and after finding it to pay for lodging and save for a place of their own. Jasica had been job hunting for months, but only just found employment on March 11. Jasica had been hired to perform “prep work” and would receive a pay check every two weeks. However, when Jasica showed up for work on Monday, franchise owner Chesley Ruff withdrew the offer after learning she lived at the Salvation Army.

 

Jasica says, “He told me to come back when I had an address and transportation. But how am I supposed to get all that without a job?”

 

Ruff signed a letter on Monday stating she couldn’t be employed “due to concerns of lack of residence and transportation.”

 

Of course, on Thursday, Ruff changed his tune saying that he was protecting her from the real reason he couldn’t hire her: she has not prior food prep experience and seemed to elderly to lift the 40-pound boxes. Yeah, that is way harsher than you’re homeless and unworthy of a job. Ruff said, “I was trying to spare her feelings, I guess. I don’t know if that’s right or wrong, but I know it was stupid.”

 

Jasica has experience in retail and security, but no food experience. According to KFC Corp spokesman Rick Maynard, KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants nationwide and follows all applicable employment laws, but notes that independent franchisees make hiring decisions. Additionally, this happened in Mississippi, which is a right to work state so you know minimal labor protections and the employer and employee can terminate a relationship at any time as long as it doesn’t violate anti-discrimination statutes. And this doesn’t because the homeless aren’t protected. However, Jasica might have an argument due to Ruff’s comments about her age.

 

Ruff is arguing he didn’t terminate Jasica because she hadn’t been hired. Of course the documentation signed by the store’s general manager says different. The general manager had no comment. Ruff has hired the homeless in the past, so you know he can’t be discriminating against them now when there is a high unemployment rate. Ruff also described it this way, “Over the 20 or so years I’ve been in Tupelo doing business. I’ve helped people before.” [I need a shower to get that self-congratulatory statement off me.  He’s helped people so much. *tears*]

 

So in conclusion, people are awful and things are rigged. You have no way of escaping poverty once you’re there. Mike Elk posted that Rhode Island is the only state with a homeless bill of rights which prevents the police, medical professionals, etc from treating the homeless poorly because of their housing status.