Kent Security Services Manipulates Online Reviews

[Note: While it’s possible in theory for someone to create a fake account and impersonate someone else online, this appears to be a genuine posting given that it has been left up for two weeks with no reporting or flagging. It would also make no sense for someone to make a fake account to post a positive review in order to attack that person. Furthermore, as shown in this post, Kent Security Services has an average rating of 1.8 out of 5 stars, showing that the company already has a negative reputation online, in addition to the negative news coverage documented here and elsewhere.]

Kent Security Services, based in North Miami, has been busted posting a fake review nakedly. The CEO of the company, Gil Neuman, violated Google’s TOS by giving his own company a review. It is considered a conflict of interest and is dubbed “astroturfing.” In New York and elsewhere, it is also considered false advertising and is punishable if done repeatedly. Of course, given that the CEO of Kent Security used his own name, the violation was done out of ignorance, but regardless reviewing one’s own company is widely regarded as unethical.

Here is the evidence:

Notice the CEO’s review is surrounded by very negative reviews: out of five possible stars, the company averages 1.8 with a total of 30 reviews. The most likely reason for this desperate move by the CEO is concern about negative reviews by former employees. Instead of nakedly posting a fake review, Mr. Neuman would have been better off trying to figure out why there is so much hostility from employees and former employees towards the company, and thus work on preventing such reviews in the first place. Posting a fake review so nakedly only exposes the company to ridicule and makes the situation worse.

Here is Google’s rule against posting reviews for one’s own company (“astroturfing”):

Here are other reviews of Kent Security, including my own which mentions the newsworthy “Wall of Shame” scandal covered by the Miami New Times and Fox 4 of Cape Coral, that has sent shockwaves throughout South Florida:

Notably, the company recently settled a complaint to the Labor Board from a former employee in Naples and has been issued another hearing notice from the same agency based on a complaint that appears to originate from Marco Island.

Again, instead of resorting to posting fake reviews, the company may want to look within on why it’s getting so many complaints from people.

Lawsuit Against Kent Security of Palm Beach

There is currently a lawsuit pending against Kent Security of Palm Beach, alleging negligence due to a mace attack in Pembroke Pines, a city between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. The amendment by interlineation more recently filed aims to change the defendant to Kent Security of Palm Beach.

This video which provides documentation on the pending legal case aims to promote public safety by stimulating thought and discussion about physical encounters between security officers and the public. While we take no stance on the merits of the case, we believe the public has a right to know about these incidents.

Kent Security is no stranger to controversy: the company is currently embroiled in the “Wall of Shame” scandal that has sent shockwaves throughout the state of Florida and stimulated discussion on workplace bullying. This story was covered by the Miami New Times and Fox 4 of Cape Coral.

Kent Security Services Sued Twice over Alleged FLSA Violations

Kent Security has been sued twice over Federal Labor Standards Act (FLSA) cases, both in 2009. Given that the two suits occurred at about the same time, this implies a potential pattern of conduct. We made videos about these cases, and encourage others who feel their rights may have been violated similarly to contact the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Notably, in Casadonte v. Kent Security Services and Kent of Naples, the CEO Gil Neuman, who is no stranger to litigation and media coverage, is named individually as a defendant as well.

Ortiz v. Kent Security Services was filed in Miami, while Casadonte v. Kent Security Services and Kent of Naples was filed in Ft. Myers. Ft. Myers is a city just north of Naples, an affluent city where Kent has repeatedly been found to engage in unlawful conduct.

Here is Ortiz v. Kent Security Services:

Here is Casadonte v. Kent Security Services and Kent of Naples:

Dana Schwartz vs. the Machine

Recently Dana Schwartz, a Jewish writer for the Observer, wrote a sharp critique of Donald Trump’s pandering to White supremacists and anti-Semites, following his gauche tweet featuring an image of Hillary Clinton with a pile of money and the Star of David — a Jewish symbol — superimposed. After being called out by the mass media and Anti-Defamation League (ADL), rather than admit he had made a mistake, Trump went on the offensive claiming his tweet had nothing to do with Jews and that the media was to blame for dishonestly portraying the meaning of the tweet.

According to the New York Times, though, the image first appeared on a White supremacist website. Trump proceeded to delete the original message with the Star of David and replace it with a circle containing the words originally in the offensive image: “Most corrupt candidate ever!”

From the moment Ms. Schwartz saw that message, she began issuing blistering tweets towards Trump, rightly pointing out its offensiveness as well as Trump’s unwillingness to admit wrongdoing or fault. She concluded, based on that and other behavior, that Trump lacked leadership skills and should not be considered a legitimate presidential candidate. Then the nastiness began.

Anti-Semites on Twitter began coming out of the woodwork and flooding Ms. Schwartz with anti-Semitic insults, mocking her supposed Jewish nose, the Holocaust, and the Jewish people as a whole (as a matter of opinion, she’s cute and smart, but that’s neither here nor there). The very worst of humanity — or rather sub-humanity — reared itself to engage in collective attacks against this writer simply because she correctly pointed out the anti-Semitic subtext within the tweet, which many of the attackers themselves acknowledged.

Adding to the hurt for Ms. Schwartz is that one of her bosses high up in the chain, Jared Kushner, who owns the New York Observer, happens to be Trump’s son-in-law and Jewish, as well as an adviser of his. She has chided him for his silence on the matter, pointing out that, as an employee of his, her letter could be interpreted as insubordination. However, as a matter of principle and in defense of her people from such blatant and overt attacks, she has defied the corporate status quo and taken a stance that could potentially undermine her career at the Observer.

Ms. Schwartz’s situation is a reminder of her vulnerability, in contrast to the belief of many anti-Semites that she (and those like her) is a master string-puller who, using verbal trickery, manipulates society to control or negatively influence it in concert with other Jews. She is left as the recipient of vicious attacks on Twitter while her boss high up in the chain enjoys the political rise of his father-in-law, who is clearly appealing to these anti-Semites who would, if given the chance, strip Ms. Schwartz and even Mr. Kushner of their titles and cart them off to a place they would rather not be. Mr. Kushner, I assume, believes this to be a very low probability outcome, and seemingly believes he has something to gain from this situation given his family ties to Trump. Mr. Kushner is gambling that Trump will keep the situation under control. I believe we’ve been here before in history, with outcomes that were unexpected to all.

In conclusion, Ms. Schwartz is handling this situation nobly and deserves to be commended for following principle over playing politics with her employer. She is an independent thinker who is much-needed in our nation’s media. We all should therefore support her and make sure she is not retaliated against in any way for simply doing her job and defending herself and her people.

Donald Trump’s Anti-Semitic Tweet

Lately Donald Trump has been under fire for a tweet depicting the Star of David and money alongside Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for the White House, suggesting that she is selling herself to those with money of a particular religious group. It was also discovered that the image first appeared on a White supremacist website.

There are all sorts of problems with this situation, which I will attempt to outline. As the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) rightfully pointed out, it is long overdue for Trump to rebuke and distance himself from the White Nationalists and anti-Semites who have become a vocal part of his following. He has clearly pandered to this group of people who, as Noam Chomsky points out, are angry with their lowered economic status as a result of neoliberal policies over the last 30 years. As always, when economic crises arise, demagogues like Trump arise to take advantage of resentments toward vulnerable elements of society that are likely to be scapegoated. This is a repeated historical motif, recurring like clockwork and should have been foreseen much earlier by media pundits.

Trump’s rise should therefore be seen as a symptom of a bigger problem, which is the evisceration of America’s middle class due to economic policies geared to benefiting the billionaires, many of whom have their assets offshore to avoid paying taxes. Furthermore, corporate interests have infiltrated the federal government, thus modifying policies in a manner that betrays the interests of Main Street. The revolving door between Wall Street and Washington D.C. has been duly noted, even in the mainstream media. Ultimately, these policies will hurt the elite class, since they require a strong middle class to buy their goods and services to maintain their lifestyle and power, as well as to prop up an expensive military apparatus. You cannot have a strong military in the long run if you lack tax revenues to pay for it. This is, I believe, why the smart elites are allowing Bernie Sanders to shape the political discourse: they understand that a strong federal government that takes the interests of the middle class seriously can be beneficial to them as well, as has been shown time and again in history.

As for the anti-Semites among Trump’s supporters — they are caught in a contradiction between the belief in their inherent superiority over others and their conspiratorial belief that some other group is in control of their destiny, keeping them from attaining the greatness that is their birthright. They will sometimes deny this belief in their inherent superiority, but it can readily be seen in their lightweight literature, such as Mein Kampf. Intellectually this belief in both their innate superiority and powerlessness simultaneously is incoherent. However, history shows that resentful, incoherent masses can be manipulated by demagogues who give them a feeling of meaning and purpose, and who use their primordial fears of “outsiders” to keep them distracted. This brought enormous devastation to both Germany and especially its Slavic neighbors to the east during and after World War II.

Back to the tweet featuring the Star of David. If in fact the image used originated from a White supremacist website, it proves that Trump is following these people as a gauge for his campaign, feeding off of them to calibrate his message. If there is one talent Trump has been proven to have, amidst doubts by real billionaires over his financial status, it is his ability to manipulate the lowest common denominator in society, and perhaps, if these doubts have some basis, to fool the masses and mainstream media into thinking he has more money and more financial acumen than he actually possesses. He may just be the world’s greatest poseur.

It’s a sad state of affairs that the next presidential election will feature two highly unpopular candidates, one under investigation for allegedly jeopardizing national security and the other who feeds off of the ignorance and resentments of others. It’s a matter of picking the lesser poison. Whatever the faults of Hillary, I will not and cannot vote for Trump. I’ll take the shady candidate over the shady buffoon who presents a clear danger to millions of American citizens.

The Labor Board vs. Kent Security of Naples

This post aims to clarify the legal consequences to Kent of Naples d/b/a Kent Security’s unprofessional conduct as reported by the Miami New Times.

Notably, Gil Neuman, the CEO of the family-owned business — I emphasize this because I wonder what would be the outcome if he were the CEO of a business owned by non-relatives and goofed up like this — reportedly described the paddles as a “tasteless joke,” in effect at least partially justifying this misconduct at the gatehouse, refusing to even condemn the behavior.

After months of investigation, the National Labor Relations Board felt that Kent Security behaved unlawfully and had the company agree to post up notices at gatehouses in and around Naples to inform employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Here is the notice so it can remain on the public record:

Kent Security of Naples Notice of NLRA Rights

I’m posting this notice up to provide the truth to the public and to prevent Kent Security of North Miami (where the company is headquartered) from brushing this embarrassing situation under the carpet. In particular, this provides the public with a glimpse of the conduct of Kent Security’s executives when they are not in the public eye. It’s important for the community of South Florida — and communities in other parts of the country — to see how this company treats employees so that it can make better choices as to which companies it will reward lucrative contracts. The fact of the matter is that the humane and dignified treatment of employees is a bedrock principle from which a happy and prosperous community is built. This is also a basic free-market principle.

I should add, as a matter of opinion, that by justifying the misconduct at the gatehouse and inflaming an already tense situation involving negative press coverage, the CEO Gil Neuman gave a black mark to his family business in a display of wanton recklessness.

Kent Security of Naples Video Compilation, 1st Edition

 

This video aims to promote labor rights and employee dignity across the nation, and especially in Naples. This is brought in the spirit of the National Labor Relations Act.