Help Reggie Fight AgainstThe Park Slope Food Co-op

Hello, my name is Reg Ferguson. I'm raising $10,000 to hire an attorney so I can fight the Park Slope Food Co op in Federal Court from suspending me indefinitely for playing Black music while managing the store. This is the amount needed to have a retainer agreement that covers services with the law firm. I am doing this because when I asked for due process and a hearing pertaining to my playing of this type of music I was repeatedly ignored and denied, especially when I protested this unfair treatment in and outside the store until Covid hit. For 20 years I was an active member of the Food Co-op. So, a little about me. I’m a native New Yorker. I was born and raised in Manhattan, lived in the Bronx with my late Grandparents and now I reside in Brooklyn. I graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business and am a successful businessman. I’m 6’2” and weigh 200 pounds. I’m a member of my Community Board (CB6) and serve on two committees: Permits and Licenses and Parks. I host a fashion podcast. I’m bespectacled. I love music. I am an African-American Man.When I was growing up, my mother, was a member of a Food Co-op in Manhattan; as a kid, I got to see first-hand how special it was to shop and work towards a common goal. When that Co-op went out of business, my mom joined the one in Park Slope. I did as well and it became a big part of my life. I started as a worker with a variable, flexible schedule for the first year, became a worker with a set scheduled shift the second year and soon was asked and tasked to run the store as a Squad Leader. I did that with pleasure. My squad became a family to me. For 20 years I have looked after them. Protected them. Trained them. And nurtured them. All of that changed on October 12, 2017. I received a phone call from a man named Curtis on my unlisted phone number. He wouldn’t give his last name. That phone call changed my life forever.

Curtis asked me if I remembered playing music during my work shift on Saturday, September 16th 2017. I laughed and said, “Yes.” Playing Black music was the hallmark of our squad. I looked forward to creating a special playlist every shift. When Bobby Womack died? I created a playlist. We did one for Prince. Michael Jackson. It kept us going and it created a special environment which our shoppers appreciated. It brought us joy when we saw them moving and grooving to the beat, especially the kids. Sometimes, a shopper might ask us to lower the music, which we always accommodated. According to Curtis, because I played Black music while managing the store at the Park Slope Food Co-op, I was to be suspended for 18 months. Curtis, who represented the Dispute Resolution Committee of the Co-op (DRC), however, didn’t want me to play music. He accused me and my Squad of having “too much fun” and “I appear to care too much about the well being of my squad” that “It shouldn’t be a stretch for us to refrain from playing music.” He told me I was being fired. I said, “Not so fast.” He said, “What do you mean?” I said, “Don’t I get due process, a hearing?” He said, “No.”I’ve spent over three years fighting to be heard. After the Co-op refused my request for due process, I continued to work within the system to get a hearing. The Dispute Resolution Committee ignored all of it. Whenever I made progress, they made up a new rule to prevent my return. Written communication from the DRC referred to me as “aggressive,” “defiant,” “intimidating” and even “hostile.” I knew what I had to do – what my Mother and Grandparents would have done. I protested. I protested this unfair treatment inside and outside of the store and when I did so I was suspended indefinitely. Suspended indefinitely, just because I stood up for what was right.As I’ve continued to fight for justice with the Co-op, I’ve learned that I’m not alone. There’s a pattern of racial bias perpetuated by Co-op leadership, just look at the Instagram account “Black at PSFC”  for more examples of how this organization discriminates against people of color. While the PSFC claims to have addressed this with statements supporting BLM, they’ve done nothing to change policy or behavior – or to contact me, a direct recipient of the racial bias and injustice they claim to denounce. My Mother died not knowing whether my fight to regain my place at the Co-op would be resolved. My mother, who protested for civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights. Who taught me to fight for what I believed in. Who introduced me to the beauty and magic of music and the beauty and magic of cooperative ownership.Just like my Mother taught me, I am not giving up. I am taking the Co-op to Federal Court. I have filed a claim but hiring an attorney is expensive and I do not have all of the funds needed to have proper representation. $2500 is coming out of my pocket but I need an additional $10K for a retainer agreement that covers services.

When you contribute to this campaign, it’s not just about helping me. It’s helping the people who were bullied by the Co-op and were afraid to fight. It’s helping the African-American Coordinator who was fired from the Co-op after being called, “A threat to the neighborhood.” It’s making sure a member of the disciplinary arm of the Co-op can’t just call you without giving you his full name and making sure you are provided due process and a hearing. It’s making sure that members who are people of color (POC), don’t feel they are second class citizens at the store as evidenced by the “Black at PSFC” Instagram account. It’s holding the Co-op accountable for discrimination against me and countless others that look like me. They went against their own Disciplinary Guidelines in firing me. That’s why I have filed a claim under Title VII which is employment law. Whatever you can contribute, from $1 to $10K, would be greatly appreciated. Please use the two hashtags in talking about my story. Please share my story with your friends. Maybe they can help too. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Reg

#reggiedeservesahearing

#blacklivesmatter

Feel free to learn more about my story on my website