December 24th 2023.
On December 21, a Kings County jury found the University of Washington liable for racist discrimination against five Black police officers. As reported by the Seattle Times, the trial spanned six weeks and included testimony from numerous witnesses, including the university president, Ana Mari Cauce.
The verdict, which amounted to $16 million, was welcomed by Toby Marshall, an attorney for the suing officers. “The University of Washington has turned a blind eye to the problems in its police department for far too long,” Marshall said. “Our hope — and our clients’ hope — is that UW can no longer look away.”
In response, the university expressed their disappointment with the verdict in a statement, while hinting at a potential appeal. “Our attorneys are reviewing options for our next steps, including the potential for an appeal,” the statement reads. “This case alleged issues that took place largely under previous leadership and went unreported through official channels.”
The 33-page complaint included 100 incidents of alleged conduct, which the officers described as “rampant, pervasive discrimination and retaliation” from their superiors and fellow officers. These incidents included a banana and a racist note left near a Black female officer's locker, as well as the use of racist slurs by department supervisors.
The lawsuit further claimed that the university had been aware of the issues for years, yet failed to address them. In particular, when John Vinson was hired as the first Black police chief in 2009, a group of white officers succeeded in having him removed, citing his hiring of too many Black police officers.
The five officers bringing the suit were Hamani Nowlen, Russell Ellis, Gabriel Golden, Damien Taylor, and Karinn Young, the only Black woman officer at the time. Of the five, only Nowlen is still with the department. He experienced a particularly harrowing incident in August 2021, when the lawsuit was filed, as his home window was shot out.
This is not the first suit of its kind against the University of Washington. In 2010, officers brought a lawsuit claiming rampant racial and sexual discrimination in the police department.
This verdict comes at a time when racial justice is becoming a more prominent issue in the public discourse. Marshall expressed hope that the University of Washington would finally take notice. We can only hope that this verdict will be the spark that ignites much-needed change.
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