HOUSTON - An attorney claims her contract was canceled and she was left jobless after speaking up at the Houston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Tracie Jackson is a lawyer but over the last year, she's had to hire attorneys to 'represent' her.
"We were very upset angered and kind of in disbelief," Jackson says.
== Mired in the Muck ==
The former staff attorney says the Houston NAACP office retaliated against her while she was still employed in 2010.
It's a place that has become the center of controversy:
-- In the last few weeks, the executive director has been placed on administrative leave.
-- The new president is demanding financial accountability while facing pushback from some members.
== Show Me the Money ==
Jackson says this all stems from questions she raised back in June 2010. That was after a manager said the group was out of money and she wouldn?t be paid.
"You're the oldest civil rights organization in the country,? Jackson says. ?This is what you do so this should be a priority for you that your employees are paid."
Jackson says she was shocked since her salary comes from a special law grant that should have lasted until August. Instead, the grant ran out in June.
Testimony indicates those funds may have gone in the general fund despite being earmarked for Jackson?s salary only.
"My grant covered my position,? Jackson says. ?It should not be pooled with others, it should not go to any other expenses."
== A Conflict of Facts ==
We've obtained transcripts from the National Labor Relations Board where Jackson filed her complaint against the NAACP.
James Douglas, NAACP?s legal counsel, testified all the grants were in a single bank account.
When he was asked if the NAACP tracks how the money is spent, Douglas replied the group does not.
"I know intimately how those grants run and you don't get to spend monies on things that are not approved," Angela Oaks, Jackson?s representative, says.
Jackson's case could be decided in a matter of weeks.
But it's yet another set back for the civil rights group at the heart of a public storm.
Douglas insists the organization has not misused any funds.
Source: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/110620-ex-attorney-claims-naacp-retaliation
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