Non-white jail officers barred from guarding Derek Chauvin, told they would be potential 'liability' around him
Eight non-white corrections officers, who work at the jail where George Floyd killer Derek Chauvin is being held, have filed for discrimination charges with Minnesota's Department of Human Rights. The officers said they were prevented from guarding or having any contact with Chauvin due to their race. They alleged that they were told that they would be a potential 'liability' around Derek Chauvin who was charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's death.
The lawsuit reportedly said the 44-year-old had been booked at the Ramsey County Jail located in St Paul in Minnesota on the same day that he was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Memorial Day. Those charges were later upped to second-degree murder. It is reported that when Chauvin arrived at the prison, all officers of color were told to move to a separate floor. One sergeant revealed, "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."
"I am not aware of a similar situation where white officers were segregated from an inmate," the sergeant added. Bonnie Smith, an attorney representing the eight officers, revealed that the move has left a lasting and damaging impact on the morale of the workers. Smith added, "I think they deserve to have employment decisions made based on performance and behavior. Their main goal is to make sure this never happens again." The Jail Superintendent Steve Lydon had spoken to his superiors and revealed that the decision was made in haste after he was informed Chauvin would arrive in 10 minutes.
The decision had reportedly been made in order 'to protect and support' minority employees by keeping them away from Chauvin. In a statement, Lydon reportedly said, "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." According to Metro, Lydon claimed to have reversed his decision in less than an hour. He said, "I then met with the individuals that were working at the time and explained to them what my thought process was at the time and assured them that the decision was made out of concern for them and was in no way related to a concern regarding their professionalism or Chauvin’s safety."
"I realized that I had erred in judgment and issued an apology to the affected employees," he added. The alleged actions seem to suggest that some leaders in the metro corrections system place more trust in white police officers than non-white officers to behave in a professional manner. The death of George Floyd has left the nation outraged with protests taking over. The Black Lives Matter movement has taken precedence with people protesting against police brutality and a lack of regard for African-American lives.