Black Pasadena Police Officers File Civil Rights Lawsuit

Source: Douglas Sacha / Getty

Police departments being racist and abusive? Say it ain’t so!

According to reporting by CBS News, seven former and current Pasadena Police Department officers have a filed lawsuits claiming that they were subject to blatant racism, professional retaliation and physical abuse at the hands of fellow “blue lives.”

“I have been severely retaliated against. I’ve been kicked out of special assignments,” said Carolyn Gordon, a former lieutenant at the department. “I have been assaulted as well, to the point that I was told as I went down that I was a crybaby.”

Ex-officer Omar Elhosseiny appeared alongside Gordon at a press conference to claim that he was professionally punished for reporting an on-duty officer for drinking alcohol at a party.

A piece written in the LA Progressive states that three other Black officers, Taisyn Crutchfield, Jarvis Shelby and Milton White, also filed suits alleging some of the same violations as Carolyn Gordon. Crutchfield says that she was targeted for termination during her time in the police academy and called racist slurs by her partner, Officers Al Garcia.

Officer Jarvis Shelby says he was subjected to a discriminatory work environment as fellow officers referred to him as “little parolee.” He also claims, with witness, that he was assaulted by Commander Grisafe, which was followed by a second incident of physical confrontation at a later date. Sergeant Milton White says he was retaliated against after exposing the egregious misconduct of Officer Ralph Palacios by being reassigned from a post he held for three years. He says he was also mocked about being on welfare and called a “criminal informant.” All of these incidents were reported without follow-up.

We hope these officers have learned their lesson. “Blue lives” don’t give a damn about your Black a**es or our Black a**es.