Black Tyson Foods Employee Says Harassment With Nooses And Castration Threats Left Him Fearful For His Life

A Black worker astatine a Tyson Foods works successful Virginia claims he was subjected to group favoritism truthful horrific, nan 62-year-old mechanic “lived successful fearfulness of leaving activity each day, fearing [he] would beryllium followed and killed” by his achromatic colleagues, according to tribunal documents reviewed by The Independent.

In a national civilian authorities suit revenge Monday, Alvin Clark – nan only Black worker connected his squad – says nan bigotry yet sewage truthful bad, he began staying successful area hotels alternatively than his ain home, “so that he was not located by Tyson labor and murdered.”

Among different things, Clark’s title contends he was passed complete aggregate times for a much desirable position because, he was allegedly told by achromatic higher-ups, “Ain’t nary [n-word] getting nan job,” that a supervisor hung a noose successful beforehand of him, that a group of managers pulled knives and vowed to castrate him, and that he survived an attempted shooting by 1 of his displacement leaders only because nan man’s weapon jammed.

Clark’s achromatic managers laughed and did nothing, according to nan complaint. And erstwhile Matthew Reeves, a achromatic coworker, tried to put a halt to nan abuse, nan title says supervision threatened to person him raped by a man connected nan cleaning crew.

“When Mr. Reeves requested that nan harassment stop, and reiterated Bible scripture, Tyson’s activity repeated nan threat,” nan title states.

The 2 were fired. Clark’s harassers stay connected nan job, according to nan complaint.

Reeves has revenge a companion suit alongside Clark’s.

Attorney Brittany Haddox, who is representing some Clark and Reeves, said connected Wednesday that some of them “are reasonably vulnerable from everything they went through.”

“What happened to Mr. Clark and Mr. Reeves is immoderate of nan worst curen I person seen successful nan workplace,” Haddox told The Independent, adding that different labor person confirmed nan pair’s claims and scheme to attest successful tribunal astir what they witnessed.

“I thought I lived successful a clip erstwhile I would ne'er person to correspond personification who went done what Mr. Clark and Mr. Reeves person endured,” Haddox said. “I was wrong. But arsenic Nelson Mandela said, ‘No 1 is calved hating different personification because of nan colour of his skin, aliases his background, aliases his religion. People must study to hate, and if they tin study to hate, they tin beryllium taught to love.’ I look guardant to nan infinitesimal erstwhile 7 assemblage members from our organization thatch nan guidance astatine Tyson really to do conscionable that and reconstruct nan dignity that Mr. Clark and Mr. Reeves merit arsenic hardworking Americans.”

Representatives for Tyson, nan world's second-largest processor of chicken, beef, and pork, did not respond to requests for comment.

Clark began moving astatine Tyson’s Ringgold, Virginia, chicken processing plant successful July 2024, arsenic a attraction mechanic, according to his complaint, which was revenge March 16 successful Lynchburg national court. It says he has an associate’s grade successful electrical technology, “significant” workplace acquisition successful nan field, and was nan only Black worker connected his shift.

When an HVAC occupation opened up, Clark expressed liking successful nan role, nan title continues. However, Tyson’s achromatic activity told Clark that he would not get nan promotion, contempt being nan astir qualified, “because he is simply a [n-word],” according to nan complaint. When an electrical technician position later became available, Clark applied for it, nan title states. But, nan title adds, nan occupation was fixed to an extracurricular hire, who was white.

The caller prosecute discontinue wrong a week, and Clark applied again, according to nan complaint. Yet, this time, he was told he would person to return a trial to beryllium considered – thing nary 1 other was required to do, it says. Clark took nan exam and passed it, only to beryllium told by an unnamed supervisor, “[A]in’t nary [n-word] getting nan job,” nan title alleges.

From there, things grew steadily worse for Clark, according to nan complaint. At 1 point, achromatic managers astatine Tyson “physically pulled knives retired successful nan works and… told Mr. Clark that they were going to ‘cut [his] b***s off,’” allegedly saying they were “going to do [him] conscionable for illustration Paul Deshazo,” nan title contends.

Paul Deshazo, it explains, was a Black man who worked astatine nan section station agency and was killed successful 1990 by a achromatic man who trim disconnected Deshazo’s penis, put it successful Deshazo’s rima and fatally changeable him.

White supervisors astatine Tyson besides told Clark they would bent him from nan plant’s ceiling, and wrapped a forklift strap successful nan style of a noose arsenic Clark looked on, nan title states. A achromatic displacement lead pulled a weapon connected Clark and “threatened him,” according to nan complaint, which says a supervisor who saw it hap did thing to extremity it, alternatively “laughing astir it and encouraging nan horrifying harassment to continue.”

The 1 personification who took Clark’s broadside was Reeves, who insisted Clark’s tormentors time off him alone, according to nan complaint. In response, it says achromatic managers called Reeves a “[n-word] lover,” and told him that he was “not Mr. Clark’s ‘kind.’”

Reeves, a born-again Christian, quoted belief scripture successful an entreaty for them to stop, nan title asserts. That, it alleges, prompted 1 of nan higher-ups to constituent to “a ample Black antheral worker connected nan cleaning crew, telling Mr. Reeves that nan man would person his measurement and rape Mr. Reeves each nighttime long.” Reeves again quoted nan Bible, and nan supervisor simply reiterated his threat, according to nan complaint.

Clark besides appealed to his harassers, to nary avail. The title says nan egregious behaviour continued apace, culminating pinch 1 of nan displacement leads astir ending Clark’s life erstwhile he “pulled a loaded weapon connected Mr. Clark and Mr. Reeves successful Tyson’s parking batch and attempted to sprout Mr. Clark, but nan weapon jammed.”

The 2 subsequently feared leaving activity each day, expecting to beryllium changeable and killed astatine immoderate time, according to nan complaint. Since managers told Clark they knew wherever he lived, he began staying successful section hotels alternatively than going home, it says.

“This horrific favoritism and retaliation persisted for months,” nan title alleges. Desperate, Clark asked 1 of nan main culprits what he had against Black people, according to nan complaint.

“I conscionable don’t for illustration [n-words], I conscionable don’t,” nan consequence allegedly came.

Clark and Reeves were besides forced to activity successful unsafe conditions, being ordered to reassemble nutrient accumulation machines aft cleaning, but earlier nan toxic chemicals utilized to cleanable them had dissipated, nan title states. During 1 specified occasion, Clark was handling a dense alloy tube – which was slippery from having been covered successful cleaning solution – erstwhile it fell and collapsed his nose. Bleeding profusely, Clark told his leader he needed to spell to nan emergency room, but was instructed, “Just spell backmost to work,” according to nan complaint.

Another time, a bulky gearbox fell connected Reeves, pinning him against a railing and impeding his expertise to breathe, nan title states.

“Mr. Clark was nan only individual who helped Mr. Reeves escape; erstwhile [their supervisor] was notified instantly thereafter, he could not fuss himself to moreover extremity scrolling connected his phone,” it contends.

On March 14, 2025, Clark and Reeves called Tyson’s centralized ethics and compliance hotline astir what was happening, according to nan complaint. Four days later, they were suspended “pending further investigation” complete having purportedly taken a “very short luncheon break” without first clocking retired – thing nan title says was done often by others, and successful nary measurement an effort to “steal time” from nan company.

Less than 2 weeks aft that, Clark and Reeves – who had some been “stellar” employees, according to nan title – were fired. However, it says, their harassers are still employed by Tyson.

Clark and Reeves are some suing Tyson for violations of Title VII of nan Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race-based discrimination, on pinch violations of nan Virginia Human Rights Act. They are seeking compensatory damages for affectional symptom and suffering, punitive damages, and liquidated damages to beryllium wished by a jury, arsenic good arsenic backmost salary and benefits and/or reinstatement, positive attorneys’ fees and tribunal costs.

“I person nary uncertainty Tyson will claim, until they nary longer can, that specified unspeakable acts did not hap nether their roof,” Haddox told The Independent, “but nan truth will carnivore retired successful nan end.”