Minority jail officers allegedly kept off Chauvin’s guard
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eight Minnesota jail guards filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging racial discrimination after they were barred from working on the floor where a former police officer charged in George Floyd’s death was being held.
The eight guards, who identify as African American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander American and multiracial, say they were segregated and prevented from doing their jobs at the Ramsey County jail solely because of the colour of their skin. They say their supervisor believed they could not be trusted to professionally perform their duties around Derek Chauvin, the white Minneapolis officer who pressed his knee on the neck of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who was pleading for air.
Floyd’s death on May 25 sparked protests in Minneapolis and beyond, and led to a nationwide reckoning on race. Chauvin was arrested May 29 and brought to the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center, before he was transferred to a state prison. He is now out on bail and scheduled to go to trial in March on charges of seconddegree murder and manslaughter.
“Segregation has no place in society or the workplace and on May 29, 2020, eight Ramsey County correctional officers experienced blatant discrimination based on their race and skin colour,” said Lucas Kaster, an attorney for the guards. “Ramsey County’s segregation order caused immediate and lasting harm to the correctional officers and the jail environment.”
The guards allege Ramsey County violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act by discriminating against them because of their race, and by creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including damages arising from loss of past and future income and benefits and damages for mental anguish and suffering. Some of the guards went on leave and missed pay due to the discrimination, and one no longer works as a guard, the lawsuit says.
Ramsey County spokesman John Siqveland said in a statement Tuesday that the county board and sheriff had participated in voluntary mediation with the officers starting in July in an attempt to resolve their claims, but they were unable to reach a settlement. He had no comment on the lawsuit, citing the active litigation.