I had an argument with my manager about their unfair treatment toward a coworker who had quit because she couldn't take the abuse any longer, as well as his behavior when he intentionally brings up politics at work making many staff uncomfortable constantly. He was creating a bad work environment, and had recently gotten contacted by HR about a complaint I filed against him, which pissed him off needless to say
Of course they didn't do anything about it or looked into it, just gave him notice that a complaint was filed and to not have anymore, but he took it personally to the extreme. Today in the morning as my car was parked in back, he had taken a hammer to one of my car windows. Fortunately, there was a contract vendor (stock truck driver) who happened to record him doing so once they saw him starting to approach and attack the vehicle:
https://i.imgur.com/EVLYW9J.mp4
Despite him being on video, HR says there is a chance that the person isn't him despite him being clearly in the footage. They started an investigation which they say may take 1-2 weeks (?) to look into this issue, despite the fact his freaking face is on the video. Here it is zoomed in:
Cleary identifiable petty coward
Not only is he the only employee of anyone at my building that is his size, and with that tan and hair, but his signature glasses are also obvious indicators that it's 100% him. In fact he has them on as well as the same haircut on his business cards that we used to have, and since HR is the one that orders more of them, they clearly have his image matching the video. What's worse is he fired me after the event, saying there was misconduct and I was making threats in the workplace. Its easy to see his reasons are faulty immediately, but because HR is conducting their “investigation” I am out of a job now, conveniently a week from payday, despite them not having investigated yet. Yes, they allowed his termination of me to stand as a benefit of the doubt he may not have been on the video (HE WAS) despite the ongoing investigation just starting.
He caused $125 in damages as that's the cost the merchant wants to replace the broken window, and there are only two auto shops in town, so that's the lowest option. I'm in a poorer rural area and temporarily live out of my car, so the fact he pulled this stunt puts me in danger because I've dealt with attempted break-ins and muggings before, with no window that will be a big problem. I can't sleep safety and there is a strong chance I could be robbed. If I lose my computer I'll be in trouble when searching for a new job (I'm not going back there regardless) as there's no library in this small town. Fixing the window is priority.
I contacted several attorneys and even the local police against my better judgement, of course the police aren't helpful saying they can't do anything unless my employer wants to press charges, and to wait for the investigation by HR to conclude. Sadly, the lawyers are saying the exact same thing. They told me that they want to wait until they see HR's response first before taking action, because they don't want make any moves until they see them play their hand, which might make sense on the surface but considering the incredibly clear undeniable evidence that he is in the damn video causing property damage to MY vehicle, this seems like a pointless strategy.
This is the problem when you are in a small town where all the guys are connected in some way and/or know each other. You can call me pessimistic, but I believe what's really happening is that HR is stalling, going though the process slowly hoping my situating changes or something happens to me during this time frame. This way they can try and get away with covering up for my boss, who faked the reason to fire me, as well as influence the lack of quick action by the lawyers. They want to avoid accountabiity.
This of course puts me in a bad spot, I have a car I live in with no window in a bad neighborhood putting me at risk, unless I can pay $125 to get the window replaced. I tried applying for credit out of desperation but that didn't work out (thankfully, I don't need debt to increase my problems). I need to get that broken window replaced for safety TODAY. I don't get paid until Monday which complicates the issue since I can't approve for credit.
This all could have been resolved instantly, if HR didn't have some sort of invested interest in my manager. This in any other situation would be an open and shut case, my boss is clearly on video his face (and body) visible on the screen. It seems like they are all trying to protect each other. Lawyers are hesitant to take action saying to wait until HRs statement, every single lawyer I've talked with so far has said the same thing. It's very clear imo that HR and the lawyers are covering for each other to stall. That may be why the lawyers I've contacted that are farther away from town are resistant to travel down here and give contingency, they must know that these towns are corrupt, and it must be a pain in the ass to deal with.
But right now I have to find some way to get a replacement window today as my safety is in jeopardy otherwise. Sometimes I wish I could win the lottery and move away from all this struggling.