The Honolulu Police Department Complaint
(Click above to link to view complete Complaint)
HONOLULU POLICE OFFICERS SUE FOR
RACE AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION: LIVES ENDANGERED
Three Honolulu Police Officers filed suit February 22, 2010, in United States District Court in Honolulu against the Honolulu Police Department alleging life-threatening racial and gender discrimination.
The plaintiff officers are an African-American male, a Mexican-American male and a Caucasian-American female.
For more than two years, the veteran plaintiff male officers have been subjected to and have complained of racial discrimination while serving on the Honolulu Police Department DUI Team, as has the veteran plaintiff female officer who supported their complaints. These officers make dangerous roadway arrests and, in doing so, require backup cover from their fellow officers, which support was, and is still, not being provided to them because of illegal discrimination.
In retaliation for making such complaints, their Caucasian, Hawai’ian, Asian and mixed-race supervisors conspired (and are still conspiring) to insure that the plaintiff officers do not receive protective backup cover from other officers when they make nighttime roadway arrests of drunk or drugged suspects who may possess weapons or outnumber the officer, knowing that such failure to cover could endanger the officers and the public, resulting in serious bodily injury or even death to the plaintiff officers or innocent citizens caught in a crossfire. The officers have said that all they want to do is to carry out their responsibilities to protect the public.
The plaintiff officers are suing for consequential and punitive damages and are requesting the U.S. District Court to order the Police Department to take immediate steps to protect their lives while they serve the public.
Eric Holder, United States Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, has been asked to intervene to protect the officers.
Attorneys for the officers are Merit Bennett, co-counsel for the plaintiff women in the national class action sex discrimination case against Wal-Mart (Dukes, et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) and Seth Goldstein, nationally renowned victims’ rights advocate and law enforcement expert. Said Merit Bennett, “It is unthinkable that officers who are sworn to protect the citizens of Hawai’i are placed in danger by their supervisors and fellow officers while on duty.”
|
