Black worker says she was fired after reporting noose at Sterling Heights Assembly plant

Apr 30, 2019 at 10:14 am
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Sterling Heights Assembly plant.

A 34-year-old woman said she has been fired from her job after reporting a noose she discovered at the Sterling Heights Assembly plant.

Now, Charlene Lust and her four children may soon be evicted from their apartment on Detroit’s west side because she can’t afford to pay rent.

Lust, who is black, was working for a subcontractor, Kentucky-based MacLellan Integrated Services, when she came across a rope hanging in the auto plant.

“I literally almost fainted. I’ve never seen one,” Lust told The Free Press. “When I saw the noose, I was like stuck.”

Lust said she was fired for photographing the noose. Employees are barred from taking photos at the plant.

MacLellan did not return Metro Times' call for comment.

In February, General Motors announced that it’s offering a $25,000 reward for information about nooses and “whites-only” signs that were found at its plant in Toledo.

Also in February, a student hung a black doll from a dormitory at Eastern Michigan University.

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