Le Manteau closed for security matters

Ten employees of Le Manteau are exercising their right of withdrawal following the assault of a social worker by a patron, on the morning of Sunday, April 30th. During their weekly meeting this Tuesday on May 2nd, the workers decided to exercise their right of withdrawal as long as they will not have the confidence to be able to work safely. “Two priorities we learned to reopen are to have a security officer as well as to secure the perimeter of the building with gates” reported Angela Dracon-Vilsaint, educator-monitor and delegate of the staff.

Sunday at 7:35am, a homeless individual excluded from Le Manteau as delusional and already reported by the association to the authorities for his harmfulness, entered the building to steal some orange juice. The social worker then went outside to ask him to return them. He would have then come on to her with a large knife telling her: “If you want, I can use it against you.”

“We are aware of the difficulty of working with people in a situation of exclusion, but it is not normal that we have to deal with the sickest persons on the island and that we do not have a security officer” noted Audrey Gil, the Director of Le Manteau.

Employees of Le Manteau are awaiting the proposals of the Collectivité and the Prefecture on this topic.