Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Ramsey County corrections officers of color say they were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin
Eight minority Ramsey County corrections officers have filed discrimination charges with the state’s Department of Human Rights after they were barred from guarding or having any other contact with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last month.
Chauvin was booked at the county jail the same day he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
As Chauvin arrived, all officers of color were ordered to a separate floor, and a supervisor told one of them that, because of their race, they would be a potential “liability” around Chauvin, according a copy of racial discrimination charges obtained by the Star Tribune.
“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 acting sergeant, who is black. “I am not aware of a similar situation where white officers were segregated from an inmate.”
Bonnie Smith, a Minneapolis attorney representing the eight employees, said the order left a lasting impact on morale.
“I think they deserve to have employment decisions made based on performance and behavior,” she said. “Their main goal is to make sure this never happens again.”
In explaining his actions, jail Superintendent Steve Lydon later told superiors that he was informed Chauvin would be arriving in 10 minutes, and made a call “to protect and support” minority employees by shielding them from Chauvin.
“Out of care and concern, and without the comfort of time, I made a decision to limit exposure to employees of color to a murder suspect who could potentially aggravate those feelings,” Lydon reportedly said in a statement given during an internal investigation and provided by the Sheriff’s Office to the Star Tribune. He has since been demoted.
Formal charges filed Friday night are expected to automatically trigger a state investigation. It would mark the second Department of Human Rights racism probe into a law enforcement agency in recent weeks. The agency launched a sweeping inquiry into the Minneapolis Police Department after Floyd’s death. That investigation will examine MPD policies and procedures over the past 10 years to determine whether the department has engaged in discriminatory practices.
‘Segregation order’
On May 29, word spread that Chauvin had been arrested and would be booked at the Ramsey County jail. A black acting sergeant who typically oversees the transport of high-profile inmates started a routine pat-down on Chauvin. Lydon instructed the sergeant to stop and replaced him with white officers, the charges say.
A fellow sergeant informed him that Lydon had ordered all minority employees from the fifth floor, where Chauvin was being held in isolation, and prohibited them from having any contact with Chauvin. In every case, white colleagues were swapped in to perform their normal duties.
Later that afternoon, officers of color gathered on the third floor to console one another about what they deemed a “segregation order.” Some were crying, charges say, while others were openly contemplating whether they should quit. Individuals who complained were told to take it up with Lydon.
https://www.startribune.com/minorit...derek-chauvin-in-jail-george-floyd/571391442/
Ramsey County corrections officers of color say they were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin
Eight minority Ramsey County corrections officers have filed discrimination charges with the state’s Department of Human Rights after they were barred from guarding or having any other contact with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last month.
Chauvin was booked at the county jail the same day he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
As Chauvin arrived, all officers of color were ordered to a separate floor, and a supervisor told one of them that, because of their race, they would be a potential “liability” around Chauvin, according a copy of racial discrimination charges obtained by the Star Tribune.
“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 acting sergeant, who is black. “I am not aware of a similar situation where white officers were segregated from an inmate.”
Bonnie Smith, a Minneapolis attorney representing the eight employees, said the order left a lasting impact on morale.
“I think they deserve to have employment decisions made based on performance and behavior,” she said. “Their main goal is to make sure this never happens again.”
In explaining his actions, jail Superintendent Steve Lydon later told superiors that he was informed Chauvin would be arriving in 10 minutes, and made a call “to protect and support” minority employees by shielding them from Chauvin.
“Out of care and concern, and without the comfort of time, I made a decision to limit exposure to employees of color to a murder suspect who could potentially aggravate those feelings,” Lydon reportedly said in a statement given during an internal investigation and provided by the Sheriff’s Office to the Star Tribune. He has since been demoted.
Formal charges filed Friday night are expected to automatically trigger a state investigation. It would mark the second Department of Human Rights racism probe into a law enforcement agency in recent weeks. The agency launched a sweeping inquiry into the Minneapolis Police Department after Floyd’s death. That investigation will examine MPD policies and procedures over the past 10 years to determine whether the department has engaged in discriminatory practices.
‘Segregation order’
On May 29, word spread that Chauvin had been arrested and would be booked at the Ramsey County jail. A black acting sergeant who typically oversees the transport of high-profile inmates started a routine pat-down on Chauvin. Lydon instructed the sergeant to stop and replaced him with white officers, the charges say.
A fellow sergeant informed him that Lydon had ordered all minority employees from the fifth floor, where Chauvin was being held in isolation, and prohibited them from having any contact with Chauvin. In every case, white colleagues were swapped in to perform their normal duties.
Later that afternoon, officers of color gathered on the third floor to console one another about what they deemed a “segregation order.” Some were crying, charges say, while others were openly contemplating whether they should quit. Individuals who complained were told to take it up with Lydon.
https://www.startribune.com/minorit...derek-chauvin-in-jail-george-floyd/571391442/
You know, he's not wrong. If the choice is between some confederate war general or that dip shit, I'll go with the already dead racist.
View attachment 32107
Here's the draft version of The Donald's proposal for his own statue:
![]()
