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Brooklyn Councilman Vincent Gentile's autistic ex-aide accuses staffers of torment
New York Daily News ^ | December 6, 2016 | Erin Durkin and Victoria Bekiempis

Posted on 12/06/2016 4:12:28 PM PST by GuavaCheesePuff

A legislative aide with Asperger's Syndrome endured so much humiliation in Brooklyn City Councilman Vincent Gentile's office — including decapitated teddy bears left on his desk — that he had to quit, a $10 million lawsuit alleges.

Michael Bistreich, Gentile's former legislation and budget director, claims he was "subjected to degrading and humiliating discrimination because he is autistic" during his nearly 2½ years with the pol.

The discrimination was "perpetrated by Council Member Gentile and his senior staff, including (former chief of staff John) Mancuso," the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, charges.

Bistreich, for example, disclosed "he identified with and emotionally valued objects, including stuffed animals," the suit says.

(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: democrat; gentile; nyc; vincentgentile
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1 posted on 12/06/2016 4:12:28 PM PST by GuavaCheesePuff
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

I don’t get the decapitated teddy bear thing. Is that an insult to aspergers people?


2 posted on 12/06/2016 4:18:02 PM PST by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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No early mention of political party. Why?


3 posted on 12/06/2016 4:19:06 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

Agree, it was my first question.


4 posted on 12/06/2016 4:20:00 PM PST by JayGalt
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To: GuavaCheesePuff; All

Vincent Joseph “Vinnie” Gentile is the Council member for the 43rd District of the New York City Council. He is a Democrat. The district includes Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn.


5 posted on 12/06/2016 4:20:58 PM PST by Oratam
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

I suspect it was because he “disclosed ‘he identified with and emotionally valued objects, including stuffed animals’.”


6 posted on 12/06/2016 4:21:45 PM PST by LTC.Ret
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To: Veggie Todd
I don’t get the decapitated teddy bear thing. Is that an insult to Asperger's people?

In the article; "Bistreich, for example, disclosed "he identified with and emotionally valued objects, including stuffed animals," the suit says." So whomever was doing this knew Bistreich would get upset. Typical case of another Democrat bully.

7 posted on 12/06/2016 4:23:28 PM PST by Traveler59 ( Truth is a journey, not a destination.)
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To: Gene Eric

He’s a Democrat. He is fairly liberal for a conservative-leaning area of NYC. Yes, they are some conservative areas of the City.


8 posted on 12/06/2016 4:24:53 PM PST by GuavaCheesePuff
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To: Gene Eric

Daily news is a form of Nyt lite...rat rag


9 posted on 12/06/2016 4:25:34 PM PST by Doogle (( USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
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To: Traveler59

See, that’s why I should actually read the articles. But sadly, I’ll probably never learn.


10 posted on 12/06/2016 4:26:16 PM PST by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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To: Doogle
Daily news is a form of Nyt lite...rat rag

Not that the Gray Lady has any dignity left to lose -- but the Daily News is several orders of magnitude worse. The NYT has a public editor. They at least maintain a fig leaf of objective journalism that they try to hide behind.

OTOH, the Daily News is more like a cross between a supermarket tabloid and the Daily Worker.

11 posted on 12/06/2016 4:38:57 PM PST by Sooth2222 ("Every nation has the government it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821))
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To: Veggie Todd

Bistreich, for example, disclosed “he identified with and emotionally valued objects, including stuffed animals,” the suit says.


12 posted on 12/06/2016 4:54:57 PM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: Gene Eric; JayGalt

Council Member - Democrat ... Vincent J. Gentile


13 posted on 12/06/2016 4:56:07 PM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

It was mean, shameful and immature for both men to pick on and provoke this younger employee who is autistic. At the same time, someone needs to communicate to this employee that you do not tell everyone you meet about how vulnerable you are to feeling emphatic pain. You don’t tell virtual strangers about what makes you want to cry or go stay in bed for a week.

These are coworkers, they are NOT necessarily your friends. People will file this info away and use it against you later. We are but humans. Some folks cannot resist going after a weak looking target. It can bring the predator/ frat boy behavior out in otherwise professional acting adults. That said, the autistic man should have been able to consult Human Resources or have some intermidiate party made available to advocate for him
and tell his supervisor to “Cut the Crap!, or risk being named in a lawsuit as part of a Toxic Work Environment.”


14 posted on 12/06/2016 5:17:18 PM PST by lee martell
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To: GuavaCheesePuff
Bistreich, for example, disclosed "he identified with and emotionally valued objects, including stuffed animals," the suit says.

After doing so, "Bistreich found mutilated stuffed animals at his desk, including teddy bears that were decapitated with one head mounted on a small flagpole, and a stuffed animal dog that was gutted and impaled and had red coloring around its slit stomach, mouth and eyes to resemble blood ..." The incident "was so distressing to Bistreich that he closed himself in the conference room for close to an hour," the suit alleges.

This actually sounds like a fun place to work.

15 posted on 12/06/2016 5:37:04 PM PST by LambSlave
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

If he’s upset, he should just sing the happy song:

“”If You’re Happy and You Know It, Flap Your Hands””


16 posted on 12/06/2016 5:40:35 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Bill and Hillary Clinton are the penicillin-resistant syphilis of our political system.)
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To: GuavaCheesePuff

Sounds like the people in that office need a lot more work to do. Perhaps getting rid of a bunch of them will keep the remainder busy.


17 posted on 12/06/2016 5:50:18 PM PST by wrcase
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To: LambSlave

That is not “fun” tormenting someone witn Aspergers. Its cruel.


18 posted on 12/06/2016 6:40:14 PM PST by ghostkatz (if you are paying income tax, you are just a sharecropper for the government.)
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To: Graybeard58

That response is uncalled for. Makes it sound like you are making fun of persons with Aspergers. Shame.


19 posted on 12/06/2016 6:42:39 PM PST by ghostkatz (if you are paying income tax, you are just a sharecropper for the government.)
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To: ghostkatz

As of DSM-5 there is no longer a such thing as Asperger’s; it is no longer a disorder. it is back to being “shy” or “Mommy’s boy”. The treatment is to man up and stand up for yourself.


20 posted on 12/07/2016 3:36:06 AM PST by LambSlave
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