Eight nonwhite corrections officers who worked at the jail holding Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd, have
filed discrimination charges with Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights claiming that they were prevented from guarding or having contact with Chauvin on the basis of their race.
The accusations are likely to intensify
already-fierce criticism of the city’s criminal justice system as tainted by personnel and policies that discriminate against the city’s black residents.
According to the Star Tribune, which obtained a copy of the charges, Chauvin was booked at the Ramsey County jail on the day he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter for asphyxiating Floyd with his knee.
All officers of color were told they could potentially be a “liability” in handling Chauvin and were ordered to work on a separate floor, according to the Star Tribune.
The charges also allege that a black acting sergeant who is usually tasked with overseeing high-profile inmates was told to stop patting down Chauvin and replaced with white officers. A white officer reportedly allowed Chauvin to use her cellphone, in violation of jail protocol.
“I understood that the decision to segregate us had been made because we could not be trusted to carry out our work responsibilities professionally around the high-profile inmate — solely because of the color of our skin,” wrote one black acting sergeant in the charges. “I am not aware of a similar situation where white officers were segregated from an inmate.”
The attorney representing the eight officers of color, Bonnie Smith, said it was a blow to the morale of the officers as it signaled mistrust based on their race.
“I think they deserve to have employment decisions made based on performance and behavior,” she said, per the Star Tribune. “Their main goal is to make sure this never happens again.”
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office initially denied reports on social media that nonwhite officers were barred from contact with Chauvin. Jail Superintendent Steve Lydon reportedly told his superiors that his steps to remove nonwhite officers from around Chauvin were meant to “protect and support” them. He has since been demoted.
