Black officer sues Harvard police, claims bias

Black officer sues Harvard police, claims bias

By Associated Press  |   Thursday, April 21, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

The Harvard University Police Department passed over a black officer for a number of promotions and superiors routinely made racist remarks about blacks and Latinos, according to a federal lawsuit.

The complaint by Officer George Pierce, a veteran patrolman who is black, said he applied for open sergeant positions a number of times only to be passed over for less-qualified, non-black employees. The reason Pierce didn’t get promoted was his race, the lawsuit alleged, citing various instances when Pierce sought a sergeant spot but was turned down.

"Throughout Pierce’s employment at Harvard, Harvard and the department have created and maintained a pervasive racially-biased environment within the department," the lawsuit said.

The complaint also alleges that Pierce had to endure supervisory officers making racial comments about blacks dominating sports and a derogatory slur describing a Latino police officer.

The suit, which was filed late last month in U.S. District Court in Boston, seeks unspecified damages.

Kevin Galvin, a Harvard spokesman, said the school doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Pierce has worked as a Harvard patrol officer since 2002 and is a former police officer in the town of Arlington.

Ellen Messing, Pierce’s attorney, said her client has about 30 years of experience in law enforcement and just wants a promotion he feels he’s earned. "He believes that he can contribute and he can do a good job but he’s been denied the opportunity because of his race," Messing said.

The lawsuit comes two years after a panel was asked to look at allegations of campus police racial profiling and recommended better training and outreach to students and faculty.

The six-member committee, headed by Boston attorney Ralph Martin, an African-American and former Suffolk County district attorney, was created amid concerns Harvard police officers had unfairly stopped black students because of their race.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332178

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BOYCOTT CURE LOUNGE!!

Join our boycott on facebook

Cure Lounge in Boston
246 Tremont Street, Boston, MA

BOYCOTT CURE LOUNGE!!

DO NOT SPEND YOUR BLACK DOLLARS AT CURE LOUNGE

IF YOU HATE RACISM DO NOT SPEND YOUR DOLLARS AT CURE LOUNGE

DO NOT PROMOTE THERE, DO NOT ATTEND THERE

DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM, REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR NIGHTLIFE GUIDES

TELL YOUR FRIENDS NOT TO SUPPORT CURE LOUNGE!!

In November 20, 2010 The Cure Lounge denied entrance to a group of Black Harvard students to a Harvard/Yale Game Celebration at the club.

As a result of this, the students, with the help of Boston City Councillor Ayanna Pressley brought the matter to the public and subsequently filed a complaint with MCAD (Mass. Commission Against Discrimination).

Today Feb. 25th the results of this case were made public:

Boston Globe 2/25
A Boston nightclub has agreed to pay a fine ($30K), issue a public apology and have its staff attend anti-discrimination training for closing the club when a significant number of black attendees showed up, under an agreement reached with Attorney General Martha Coakley and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

Also in the Boston Globe 2/25 - The real feelings of Cure Lounge...

Last fall, speaking on behalf of the nightclub, George K. Regan Jr. told the Globe "there were a lot of people in line known to police and police and security circles as bad people, OK? They probably couldn't spell the word `Harvard."

In a telephone interview today, Regan bristled at being blamed for the comments he made at the request of the club’s owners last fall when the issue gained media attention and the attention of Boston City At-Large Councilor Ayanna Pressley.

“I apologize for nothing,’’ Regan said. “I personally don’t happen to frequent the Cure Lounge. The facts that were related to the media I was told by the owners, who happened to be there.’’

Regan added, “they’re obviously under a lot of pressure from the attorney general’s office. They have a (nightclub) license to protect. Good luck to them. I did nothing but repeat what I was told by the owners.’’

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/02/boston_nightclu.html


BOYCOTT CURE LOUNGE!!
DO NOT SPEND YOUR BLACK DOLLARS AT CURE LOUNGE
IF YOU HATE RACISM DO NOT SPEND YOUR DOLLARS AT CURE LOUNGE
DO NOT PROMOTE THERE, DO NOT ATTEND THERE
DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM, REMOVE THEM FROM YOUR NIGHTLIFE GUIDES
TELL YOUR FRIENDS NOT TO SUPPORT CURE LOUNGE!!

READ MORE - BOYCOTT CURE LOUNGE!!

Boston club fined, apologizes for discriminating against black Harvard students

Boston club fined, apologizes for discriminating against black Harvard students

Posted by Milton Valencia February 25, 2011 11:56 AM
By Milton J. Valencia and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff



FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/02/boston_nightclu.html?p1=News_links

BLACKSTONIAN EDITOR'S NOTE:

Read the full story for the blow-by-blow including statements from City Councillor Ayanna Pressley as well as the actual Apology that is now public.

We pulled a few tasty tidbits here from the article to emphasize what we believe is the underlying and true feeling on the subject matter which is unapologetic and unbridled racism.

excerpted from Globe article:
Last fall, speaking on behalf of the nightclub, George K. Regan Jr. told the Globe "there were a lot of people in line known to police and police and security circles as bad people, OK? They probably couldn't spell the word `Harvard."....



.... In a telephone interview today, Regan bristled at being blamed for the comments he made at the request of the club’s owners last fall when the issue gained media attention and the attention of Boston City At-Large Councilor Ayanna Pressley.

“I apologize for nothing,’’ Regan said. “I personally don’t happen to frequent the Cure Lounge. The facts that were related to the media I was told by the owners, who happened to be there.’’
Regan added, “they’re obviously under a lot of pressure from the attorney general’s office. They have a (nightclub) license to protect. Good luck to them. I did nothing but repeat what I was told by the owners.’’

READ MORE - Boston club fined, apologizes for discriminating against black Harvard students

Ending era of racism

Ending era of racism
By Adrian Walker
Globe Columnist / December 13, 2010

Frank G. Cousins Jr. freely admits that he has a hard time talking about the entrenched problems involving race and gender in his department.

That isn’t an easy admission for any sheriff. But then again, Cousins might be the only law enforcement boss to file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination against a group of his own subordinates. For creating a workplace that was hostile — toward him.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/12/13/ending_era_of_racism/

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The velvet rope of prejudice?

The velvet rope of prejudice?

Race relations

By G. VALENTINO BALL  |  December 8, 2010

This week, the Attorney General's civil-rights division is investigating whether a Boston club engaged in discrimination when it shut down a private Ivy League party last month. This follows a request by City Councilor Ayanna Pressley for the city's licensing board to look into the incident, which has reopened long-simmering tensions between nightclub owners and black patrons.

The story broke along predictable lines. A spokesman for the club, Cure, says the shut-down came after bouncers spotted "bad guys" in line for the party for black Harvard and Yale alumni. But the party's organizer, Michael Beal, saw something more sinister.

"We were perceived as a threat because of our skin color," he said, in a widely-distributed email to attendees of the party. He added that in talking to the club's owner, "I do not believe him to be a racist; which only adds to my consternation around what this event says about race relations in our country."

To many, the incident appeared to be just another episode of ongoing racism in the nightclub scene. "It didn't shock me at all," says George "Chip" Greenidge, executive director of the National Black College Alliance. Far from being an exception, Greenidge says the incident at Cure "is a textbook example of how African Americans are treated when it comes to trying to enjoy life downtown."

There have long been allegations in Boston that nightclubs hold different standards for different audiences — but those allegations can be difficult to document. And promoters have little incentive to blow the whistle in a highly competitive business that's built on personal relationships.

Liz Miranda, head of DSTination Lifestyle Group, an event planning company, says that she has good relations with club owners after a decade on the Boston scene. Even so, she says, she's seen evidence of discrimination.

She explains: "A friend of mine, a white promoter, and I went to get a party at the same venue. I was charged a $4500 bar guarantee. He was charged $2000. And once I got the party, the venue even charged everyone that bought a drink an 18 percent [gratuity] on their cards, under the notion that they wanted to make sure the staff was taken care of. And this was a non-negotiable situation. It doesn't always apply to who is in the building. Many times there has to be a dress code. But they had a party the night before where all the gentlemen in the room wore jeans and sneakers. Why do we have to have slacks and shoes the next day?"

The Cure incident couldn't have come at a more critical time. In 2011, after years of behind-the-scenes work, two major African-American conventions will arrive in Boston. And what they see may determine whether Boston can continue to attract convention and tourism business when some still associate the city with the busing wars of the 1970s.

In an effort "to discuss how Boston can attract and retain the skilled labor workforce that will enable our city to compete in the 21st century," Citizens' Committee on Boston's Future, a fact-finding committee led by City Council President Michael Ross, was scheduled to meet around the issues of nightlife. These latest allegations are sure to weigh heavily on everyone's minds.

"People have worked for decades to advance this city," says Pressley, "and I won't have that progress compromised. Not only because we don't want to move back, but also because this is bad for Boston's brand. And there is an economic impact to that."



Read more: http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/112637-velvet-rope-of-prejudice/#ixzz17dhvNIU8

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