Sean Penn attacked employees of his non-profit organization who are helping to administer the COVID-19 vaccines in Los Angeles after two of them complained about working conditions online.
The Oscar-winning actor wrote a scathing 2,200-word email to the team on Friday, in which he accused the unidentified duo of “obscene criticism” and said they should leave, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“For whoever is the author of these, understand that in every cell of my body there is a vitriol for the way their actions reflect so harshly on their brothers and sisters in arms,” wrote Penn in the letter, which was leaked to the Times.
The missive came after two people who said they worked for Penn’s organization, Community Organized Relief Effort, commented on a January 28 New York Times story that described a day at the Dodger Stadium mass vaccination site.
A member who describes himself as “the CORE team” said employees were overwhelmed after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti moved the stadium from a virus testing site to a vaccination center.
Employees work 18 hours a day, six days a week, “without the opportunity to take breaks,” wrote the person.
The other anonymous scribe complained that the article said that local workers were given “Krispy Kreme for breakfast and Subway for lunch”.
“We don’t usually eat breakfast, just coffee,” wrote the person, adding that lunch “NO” was Subway, but “the same old lettuce wraps every day. It’s free lunch for employees / volunteers, so I’m not complaining, but still … not from Subway. “
In his fervent e-mail, Penn, 60, described his “grave concern” over the comments, which he criticized as “a broad betrayal by everyone,” reported the LA Times.
He said the “shameful entries” were “highly visible”, although they are part of at least 150 responses from readers to the NY Times article.
Penn said that CORE – which he co-founded after the 2010 Haiti earthquake – has “strict complaint procedures and endless other internal avenues for productive criticism” of employees.
Anyone “predisposed to a complaint culture” and “broad-based cyber complaints” should simply give up, he added.
“This is called giving up,” wrote Penn. “Go out to CORE. Give up for your colleagues who don’t give up. Give up for your peers, who deeply recognize that this is a moment in time. A moment of service that we must all incorporate at times to the point of collapse. “