Obion Co. man says he found 4-page ‘racist manual’ at his job
WARNING: This story contains disturbing language.
OBION COUNTY, Tenn. — An Obion County man says he found a racist document inside his place of employment and is now seeking legal help to get answers.
The four-page document that DeAndre Adams says he found is filled with disturbing language about African-Americans. Adams’ attorney said the document is essentially a manual with instructions on how to configure, feed and even dispose of African-Americans.
Adams, a seven-year employee of the Obion County Highway Department, says he found the jarring manual at work.
“Found a document that was titled the ‘N-word Owner’s Manual,'” Adams’ attorney, Kathy Laizure, said.
Within the manual, Adams’ lawyer said there are subtitles, such as “My N-word keeps raping white women” and “Should I store my dead “N-word?”
“It is just about some of the most disgusting stuff that I have ever seen,” Laizure said.
Adams’ attorney said he spotted the four-page document inside a filing cabinet he checks on a regular basis.
“It looked fairly recently printed,” Laizure said.
Laizure said Adams was shaken when he saw the manual and the graphic details inside.
“It talks about installing your N-word, configuring your N-word. It’s talking about literally like slave ownership,” Laizure said.
Adams’ lawyer claims it also lists instructions on how to make African-Americans work, as well as ways to house and entertain referring to black people as sub-human.
“Lynchings are best done with a rope over the branch of a tree, and ‘N’s’ just love to be lynched. It makes them feel special,'” Laizure read from the manual.
Adams reported the incident to his supervisor at the Obion County Highway Department. According to Laizure, Adams was told the issue would be taken care of.
“The superintendent just tossed it in the trash, which my client retrieved, and now I have the original document,” Laizure said.
This is not the first time Adams says he has encountered racism. Laizure said her client says he has endured years of racist treatment.
“Being called the ‘N-word.’ Some of the people come into the highway department saying, ‘oh yeah, there’s that lazy N-word,’ and things like that, which is horrendous,” Laizure said.
Laizure said the Obion County attorney wants the original document for fingerprinting purposes, but says so far no action has been taken.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News attempted to reach out to the Obion County Highway Department’s attorney Thursday afternoon for comment.
Obion County Attorney Steve Conley returned the call Friday morning. He said their goal is the same as Adams’, which is to determine who placed the document in the filing cabinet.
He said the highway superintendent is investigating and will determine what disciplinary actions will be taken against whoever placed the document in the cabinet.
Laizure said their intent is to file a suit in federal court for racial discrimination and racial harassment in a hostile work environment.
Adams is still employed by the Obion County Highway Department.
