The Baltimore attorney representing the family of deceased Baltimore Department of Public Works trash collector Ronald “Ronnie” Silver II says working at the agency is similar to how slaves were treated in the American South and akin to “modern-day indentured servitude.”

“More than 150 years after we abolished slavery and indentured servitude, this is what [DPW trash collector Travis Christian], Ronnie and so many others were condemned to,” attorney Thiru Vignarajah said during a news conference Thursday in front of Baltimore City Hall.

“They were picking up trash and doing manual labor for next to nothing without water or food or breaks,” Vignarajah said. “And they were told that if they complained about their injuries, they would be retaliated against.”

Silver died from heat exhaustion Aug. 2, a day that reached 99 degrees and had a heat index well into the triple digits. Another report by Baltimore City’s Office of the Inspector General released earlier this week found that Silver called out sick the day before his death and had his concerns dismissed by a trash truck driver — ultimately to the resident whose porch Silver collapsed on to call 911 for him.

Vignarajah explained his client’s family has three “demands”: (1) That the Baltimore City Council convene a hearing specifically on the events that led to Silver’s death, (2) that the city waive its attorney-client privilege with Conn Maciel Carey LLP to make the law firm release the full investigation it conducted on behalf of the city, and (3) that other DPW workers who experienced mistreatment come forward.

According to Vignarajah, a hearing specifically on Silver’s death is necessary because previous OIG reports “warned” that such a tragedy could occur, and other incidents such as the 2023 Brooklyn Homes mass shooting received more narrowly-focused hearings.

The council held a broadly focused hearing on DPW working conditions last week, during which city leaders praised the direction of the agency under new director Khalil Zaied. During the hearing, Zaied said DPW is working with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration to negotiate higher salaries for sanitation workers.

On attorney-client privilege, Vignarajah repeated his previous argument that the “client” in this case means the people of Baltimore, not just the Scott administration. Such a move would force the firm to publicly release further interviews of DPW employees conducted by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, Vignarajah said.

“This isn’t Brandon Scott’s report. He’s not a private client using his hard-earned money. He used our hard-earned money to hire a law firm to get to the bottom of what happened,” Vignarajah said. “And that report, which was frankly the best version of the case for the city, was nevertheless damning.”

Scott’s office did not respond to a request for comment by publication.

Vignarajah was joined Thursday by Silver’s mother, Faith Johnson, aunt Renee Meredith and coworker Travis Christian — another DPW trash collector who collapsed from heat exhaustion on Aug. 2. Christian did not speak at the news conference but has been interviewed and mentioned in multiple reports on Silver’s death.

Johnson said the grief process is still “serious” as she grapples with her son’s loss and having to raise his children as her own. She said the family stands behind Vignarajah’s effort to ensure Silver did not die in vain.

“We just want all the facts. We just want a hearing, and we want all the documents,” Johnson said. “We think that the right thing to do, to give to this man.”

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