ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - This week, St. Louis Public Schools has had to deal with a bus driver shortage, with 56 routes being uncovered at one point, after a racial incident that took place led to bus drivers walking out.
Amin Mitchell Sr. is a school bus mechanic for the Missouri Central Bus Company and last week discovered a noose near his workstation.
"I walked by one of my coworkers tool box and the noose was actually sitting on the floor right in front of his toolbox," said Mitchell Sr.
Mitchell Sr., who is an Army veteran and one of two African Americans who work at the company, was shocked at the discovery and told HR.
He adds that this isn't the first time he's faced racial incidents at work before. Mitchell detailed the first incident where he felt like he had to take things to HR.
"My direct supervisor's boss called me a deragatory slang and I was referred to as a 'Good Ole Boy," said Mitchell Sr.
Mitchell says those previous instances made him feel initially numb to finding the noose. His coworkers were initially more upset than he was about the noose.
"I cried in my sleep. I woke up crying because of how it made me feel." said Mitchell Sr.
The situation has led to a walkout by bus drivers in the company, with schools like St. Louis Public Schools being forced to cancel after school activities due to as many as 56 bus routes being uncovered due to the walkout.
Mitchell says he doesn't know anything regarding the walkout and isn't the one organizing it.
Michell says he cannot speak for the team of bus drivers protesting in support of him and is unsure how long their walk out will last.
Missouri Central says they have notified its employees that they have hired a third-party investigator to examine the troubling allegations and hope for a swift resolution.