A former employee of the Minnesota board responsible for issuing police officer licenses is suing the organization on the grounds that she was the victim of racial discrimination.
The last straw was when a throng gathered outside in February to protest the police shooting of Amir Locke, according to administrative specialist Starr Suggs, who had worked for the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board for 28 years.
The single Black employee among a team of roughly twelve stated she was troubled by the response of her white coworkers and bosses, even though the demonstration was nonviolent.
“Oh my God, they’re coming!” they cried out as they ran around in terror. said Suggs. Get your brass knuckles was stated. Yes, I have my knife, one employee said. Hey Starr, do you have our back? they yelled.
A month after her resignation, Suggs filed a racial discrimination complaint against the POST Board, describing a number of occurrences, including the incident from that day.
Just a few weeks prior, the board that oversees law enforcement in Minnesota authorized a strategy to combat hate speech and white supremacy in police.
Erik Misselt, the POST Board’s executive director, declined to comment, citing the dispute.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights acknowledged some of the allegations made in Suggs’ complaint late last year, but refrained from labeling it racial discrimination since board members “frequently treated all personnel negatively,” according to KSTP. However, the department did discover “probable cause” that her complaints of discrimination were met with retaliation from the leaders.
