Yale reneged on deal to not press charges, says former employee who broke window

Many have voiced support for Corey Menafee, the former Yale cafeteria worker who broke a stained-glass window depicting slavery. But that hasn’t stopped the state of Connecticut from filing charges against him.

And according to Menafee, he made a deal to have those charges dropped. He told the New Haven Independent that he signed a contract with Yale stating he would resign in exchange for not being prosecuted.

Menafee did resign, but he’s still facing a second-degree misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment and a first-degree felony charge of criminal mischief.

Menafee was a dishwasher at a Yale dining hall with a stained-glass window that depicted black slaves picking cotton. He said he was tired of looking at the “racist, very degrading” image and used a broom to hit the glass twice, knocking it to the ground and breaking it. The glass allegedly fell on a woman in the street below, “endangering her safety,” according to Yale officials.

“It’s 2016, I shouldn’t have to come to work and see things like that,” he told the Independent. “I just said: ‘That thing’s coming down today. I’m tired of it. I put myself in a position to do it, and did it.”

Previous attempts by students to have the window replaced had failed. The residential college where he worked is named after John C. Calhoun, a former U.S. vice president who advocated for slavery.

University officials claim Menafee voluntarily resigned but they are asking the state to drop the charges. The state does not need the university’s permission to pursue the charges, but Yale refusing to cooperate with the investigation could have a substantial impact on the case.

Menafee said he signed a contract but could not produce a copy. He has said he regrets breaking the window, and that there are “better ways of doing things like that than just destroying things.”

Priceonomics ranks Yale the 26th most diverse university out of the top 100 colleges in the U.S. Its population is less than 50 percent white.

Menafee had his first appearance in court Tuesday, where his case was continued to July 26. The courtroom was standing room only, according to the Independent, and Menafee said he didn’t realize how much other people were interested in his case. There were dozens of others protesting on the courthouse steps.

“I didn’t know I was supported this much,” Menafee said. “I didn’t realize what I did had such an impact on other people.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Yale reneged on deal to not press charges, says former employee who broke window."