Tonight 37 year old Isaiah Williams is still hospitalized at the KHMH with a bullet in his neck -after he was shot on Thursday night outside his mother's house on Banak Street. Yesterday afternoon, he came out of an induced coma, but his condition is still critical.
And while he is fighting for his life in the hospital, his wife was handed his letter of termination from the job that he had held for two years at the Southside project. The letter stated that Williams services as a laborer with the Southside Rejuvenation Project is terminated effective at the end of the normal workday on Friday August 31. That was one day after Williams was shot up.
Today in an interview with 7news, his wife Rosalie Williams told us, it is a rather frustrating situation, because her husband, who has contributed two years of payments to social security, is now left with no benefits because he was terminated while hospitalized.
Rosalie Williams
"Right now I could see all the trials coming and I definitely know the reason why but my husband - I went to his workplace yesterday to see if I got his Social Security forms full out because the doctor has already full them out and I took it there to have them fill it out and then I will take it to Social Security. At least I believe that he should have benefits."
Monica Bodden
"You took it where, to CYDP?"
Rosalie Williams
"Yes and I believe he should have benefits because I know over the two years that he has been working there he was paying Social Security, so I believe that he should have gotten back some benefits. When I took it there the secretary told me that they cannot sign it, so I ask her why and she told me that my husband has been terminated from the job, not only him but all the rest that were there working due to economy and the government does not have money to support the program anymore."
"As I told her my husband worked up to that Thursday. He got shot the Thursday night, he work until that day and I never have any knowledge of him not having a job then and neither did he. I told her that they should have waited until he woke from there and the give him whatever termination letter and let him know."
"They said that it was something that was already in process and they cannot do anything about that. I just try go to different areas to see how I can get any assistance for him but so far I haven't gotten any and today is the last day that Social Security gave us to bring in the form and I haven't got anybody to sign it. I know that's a losing battle right there. I just came from Social Security because I wanted to see if the contributions that were deducted from his pay went in to Social Security. They told me that in one week time I will get back the history of his contributions that were made. That will be in a week time which I will still not get any way if I even get it because today is the last day to file for his benefits that he needs. That's all I got to say about that, I am not living and worrying about these. Right now I am feeling much better because he is recovering, he woke up and he speaks to us and he still has to go to do another surgery to take out the bullet from the back of his neck. I am trusting God is with him and he will take him through this."
We understand that Isaiah Williams was one of the four hundred employees whose services were terminated as a downscaling of the Southside projects.
An official says the termination was already in process before Williams was shot.
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