Shreveport City Council Clerk Shanerika Fleming

Statement in Council 9/12/2023

Auto-transcribed by YouTube, Edited by American Ground Radio for Accuracy

I've prepared a statement. It’s a li le lengthy so please be pa ent with me. This statement is not meant
to be a plea to stay in this posi on. We are here because apparently four council members have decided
they will fire me today and my inten on is not to try to sway anyone's vote. My goal is to show the public
why Shreveport can't keep young talented professionals. You have not heard any council member speak
nega vely about my overall work performance my skill set the quality of the work I produce or my
professionalism. Instead you've only heard baseless allega ons of wrong doing without so much as an
ounce of evidence all meant to be an assassinate, assassina on of my character. Six months ago five
council members approved my confirma on because they were confident in my ability to do this job.
Councilmen Boucher or Taliaferro didn't vote for me but I gave them my word that I'd work for them as I
would every other council member and I have. Councilwoman Bowman told me I shouldn't do shit for
them. However, I told her I would work as hard for them as I did for everyone else and I kept my word.
Anything I provide to all council members they are included and anything they've requested from me I've
provided. Neither of them can truthfully, truthfully tell you anything differently. In fact I have emails and
recall mul ple conversa ons with councilman Taliaferro where he where he has thanked me for my
efforts for me looking out for him for providing him with necessary informa on and for a job well done.
Less than a month ago a er I was publicly humiliated for receiving a raise that I knew nothing about un l
a er it had been given. Councilman Brooks came to my office and told me how great of a job I'm doing
and how impressed he was with my knowledge and ability to promptly respond to council members
any me any of them has a ques on.

So imagine my surprise this past Friday when he asked the Deputy Clerk to add my employment status to
the council agenda because he intends to fire me. He nor my other employers had the courtesy to come
to me with any of their issues before going public. I even called each of them in hopes of finding out
what the problem was because no one has spoken to me. Council members Brooks, Boucher, Taliaferro
and Bowman did not answer. Nor any of them have did not answer nor have any of them returned my
phone calls. I'd also like to add that since the day I started not one of my bosses has given me any sort of
counseling performance review or verbal or wri en warning of any sort yet they are moving to fire me. I
can't help but think this termina on as the result of a series of instances where I either spoke out against
something I didn't agree with. Or rejected invita ons that I believe were inappropriate. Around the me
that I was confirmed I a ended a dinner with councilwoman Bowman allowed Councilman Brooks to say
the word “Ni**er.” I gave him pushback in that moment and let him know that it wasn't okay for him to
use that word. Yet Councilwoman Bowman said nothing.

There was also another council member and his wife present the other council member stated he didn't
hear it but his wife did and she was so upset that she le . When I later ques oned Councilwoman
Bowman about why she remained silent she told me he was a different type of white guy and she wasn't
going to say anything because she may need him later. I guess she was right because she was able to
convince him to take the lead on firing a young black woman so that she wouldn't have to be the face of
it. Prior to that Brooks had told me that ‘Black women like him, Black women like him’ and other white
men can't get away with the same things that he could with black women. In that same conversa on he
told me he hardly ever comes to the council office but now that I'm working here he may come more
o en. I blew off his comments ini ally thinking maybe he had too much to drink but a er hearing him
say the n-word I knew he thought he could say and do whatever he wanted.

A er this any me Councilwoman Bowman asked me to join her in Councilman Brooks for drinks I
declined. When councilman Brooks texts me past work hours asking me if I was home or ge ng out
tonight I did not respond un l the next morning. When he asked me on mul ple occasions to join him at
his bar for steak and drinks I always declined. I also didn't accept Councilwoman Bowman's invita on
when she asked me to go to Dallas with her and Councilman Brooks sta ng she was going to make him
take us shopping. It's clear that at one point these council members were fond of me.

In fact Councilman Brooks was so comfortable with me. In fact councilman Brooks was so comfortable
with me that he told me he previously that he told me he was previously in business with a young black
man who he knew was a drug dealer but he didn't care because he was making money off of the young
man. He told me the only reason he cut es with the young man is because he received a heads up that
the young man was being inves gated by the feds. I told him nothing about that was okay and I guess
that what that's what privilege does for you. Likewise the last me Councilman Brooks asked me to
create legisla on for him, he told me he wanted me to dra an ordinance that he knew would only
affect, affect Club Hayes and piss them off. I told him he probably shouldn't inten onally create
something that he knows will Target and nega vely impact one business especially since he's a business
owner himself. I subsequently spoke with the city a orney's office about the proposed legisla on he
never came to me for legisla on again. It seems Councilman Brook's opinion of me may have changed
because he doesn't like to be challenged or rejected. However I will never apologize for speaking o ut
against something I know is wrong. I also won't compromise my standards and integrity by engaging in
what I believe is inappropriate behavior just to please someone even if that's someone is my boss.
Councilwoman Bowman has been vocal about her disapproval of me speaking with RJ about his job
performance. She has a problem with me speaking directly to him about his work yet she was okay with
telling me how messy his clothes look how bad his hygiene is how he acts like a female at mes and how
she knows he just sits in his office and does nothing.

I never commented on these come these statements when she made them but instead I made it very
clear to her that any issue I have with RJ will be strictly based on his job performance not anything Pe y
or personal. The only reason I bring these things up now is because it appears I am being punished
because I didn't go along with everything these council members have said or done. I'm being
professionally punished for personal reasons. In the past month mul ple people have told me that
they've asked councilman Bowman what her problem is with me and her response has been ‘I just don't
like that bitch.’ With no other explana on.

Despite knowing this I've con nued to be nothing but professional towards her, respec ng her as I do
any of my employers. However, it is apparent to me that people in posi ons are leading of leadership are
allowing personal feelings pride and even race to get in the way of what's right. I've been accused of
having an over-inflated ego. I suppose that is because I have an opinion. I don't just sit down shut up and
take whatever people try to feed me and because I walk around with my head high even when some
people do all they can to tear me down. I unapologe cally use my voice as the founder of a non-profit in
this city, I have young girls who look like me, growing up in similar circumstances as I did, who count on
my voice because at mes it's the only voice they have speaking up for them. If you knew my story and
what I went through to get to where I am today maybe you would understand why I walk and talk the
way that I do.

I don't know why my confidence in midates or offends certain people but I will not shrink myself to
make others around me feel more comfortable. Nor will I ever apologize for being secure and the gi s
God placed inside of me I love Shreveport and I love working for this city but as I stated before I'm not
begging to stay in this posi on. Today my goal is simply to lay out the facts for the public and let you all
draw your own conclusions. As to why you think these council members are now pushing for me to be
fired each council member must decide what side of this you want to be on and vote with your
conscience.

To those council members who have con nuously supported me and believe in my abili es, ability to
help make Shreveport a be er place thank you serving under your leadership has been a true honor.