Government agencies should broadly reflect the communities they serve. Nowhere is this more important that in the Trial Court, where equal justice is a fundamental principle. On behalf of the Massachusetts Minority Court Officers Association, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice calls on the Trial Court to strengthen its commitment to
Minority advocacy groups are calling on Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to develop a “comprehensive package of diversity solutions” to boost minority rates in the city’s predominately white police and fire departments. More than 100 people attended a community forum on June 20, 2017, hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers, the
This community forum on the lack of diversity in the Boston Police Department and Boston Fire Department was featured on NECN, BNN News, Bay State Banner, Dorchester Reporter, and the Boston Herald. WBUR also featured Boston Police’s staffing problems.
Massachusetts, the first state to conduct comprehensive background checks of ride-hailing companies, barred 8,206 drivers for Uber and Lyft in Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe. There is virtually no way for the vast majority of dismissed drivers to overturn their rejections, including those with relatively minor traffic violations or who had incidents that were
If the Boston Police Department Truly Values Diversity, Why Does It Bypass Qualified Minority Individuals Who Apply To Be Police Officers? Despite its claims to value diversity on the police force, the Boston Police Department (BPD) continues to stand in the way of diversity by improperly “bypassing” candidates of color who apply to be police
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice participated in a Town Hall meeting concerning discrimination and racism at the Brookline Police Department on March 3, 2017. The meeting was attended by over 100 local residents who came out to support diversity in policing. This community advocacy effort was featured in the Boston Globe,
“In America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding: that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like…you can make it if you try.” President Obama’s Proclamation on Black History Month (February 2013) CALLING FOR GREATER DIVERSITY IN THE BOSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT The Boston Fire Department is
BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS FILE CLASS ACTION DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS AGAINST AMAZON Complaints Allege Amazon Illegally Fired Drivers Based On Overly Stringent Background Checks A group of eight Black and Latino former Amazon drivers filed class action complaints today with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), charging that Amazon illegally discriminated against them and other similarly-situated
Responding to Unprecedented Civil Rights Challenges The federal government has all but abandoned its commitment to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws. The federal government is impeding progress in voting rights and police accountability cases. Right now, immigrants and refugees are being detained and interrogated in airports. Overnight, we’ve had to create a shield to
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT ORDERS TRIAL IN DISCRIMINATION CASE CHALLENGING BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT’S HAIR DRUG TEST Reverses Lower Court Decision, Citing Evidence That City Had Less Discriminatory Alternatives Available In the second judicial rebuke to the City of Boston’s hair drug test this year, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that Black police officers who were
