Minority detention center officers take action after being “deeply humiliated” by a “segregation order” issued by their supervisor.
What We Know:
- On May 29th, Derek Chauvin was arrested on 2nd-degree murder and manslaughter charges. He was then transported to Ramsey County Adult Detention Center in Minnesota. It was then that Superintendent Steve Lydon ordered all officers of color to be reassigned and segregated from Chauvin.
- The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in state district court, claims the officers’ “reassignment and Lydon’s blatant discrimination broke the trust between employees and management”. This suit follows a previous discrimination claim that was filed with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights back in June.
- Superintendent Steve Lydon expressed that he originally made his decision “out of care and concern, and without the comfort of time”. Lydon emphasized that he is not racist and was only thinking of his employee’s safety surrounding the aftermath of George Floyd‘s murder.
“I made a decision to limit exposure to employees of color to a murder suspect who could potentially aggravate those feelings”, Lydon asserted.
- Lawyer Bonnie Smith, who represents the 8 plaintiffs, advised that “employment decisions should be made based on their performance, not by the color of their skin.” The officers are currently seeking compensation for emotional distress. No settlement has been reached yet as the case is still open and ongoing.
Whether Superintendent Steve Lydon was sincere in his actions or not, his decision has very much created a rift among his employees that are supposed to trust him.
