Posts Tagged ‘James Jenkins’
Police Chief Magnus, Richmond, cleared of wrongdoing in racial discrimination suit
Police Chief Chris Magnus, retired Deputy Chief Lori Ritter and the city of Richmond were cleared by a Contra Costa County jury on Tuesday of racial discrimination and harassment charges. Seven high-ranking African American police officials had sought damages of around $18 million for what they alleged were a series of racial digs as well…
Read MoreCity manager calls Magnus ‘good leader,’ credits him for reforms during testimony in discrimination case
As police command staff officials began peppering his hand-picked police chief with complaints of discrimination, Richmond’s most powerful executive official did all he felt he should do: Initiate an independent investigation, pass the complaints on to his Human Resources manager and issue a department-wide letter reiterating conduct policies. “I felt like I was doing exactly…
Read MoreEconomist testifies in discrimination suit about lost earnings
The plaintiffs in the discrimination suit against Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus, former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter and the city aren’t suing for a specific dollar amount. But Wednesday’s testimony for the first time hinted at the costs they may have incurred from allegedly discriminatory promotion processes. According to an economist’s testimony, the total amount…
Read MoreRitter testifieds for a second day in Richmond discrimination suit
During her second day of testimony in the discrimination lawsuit against herself, Police Chief Chris Magnus and the city of Richmond, former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter testified that she wanted more diversity in the department’s upper ranks. “When I was deputy chief, the command staff was African American men and myself,” Ritter said. “I wanted…
Read MoreTestimony in discrimination suit highlights Richmond promotion demographics
In court on Thursday, Jonathan Matthews, attorney for plaintiff Lieutenant Cleveland Brown in the racial discrimination lawsuit against the city of Richmond and Chief of Police Chris Magnus, continued with questioning Magnus about his actions during a staff retreat in Napa in late 2006. The seven plaintiffs are all black commanders within the police department…
Read MoreChief takes the stand in discrimination lawsuit
Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus took the stand Wednesday, the first time the jury has heard from him since testimony began in the racial discrimination lawsuit filed against him. Magnus was sworn in just fifteen minutes before court adjourned. But fifteen minutes were enough to offer a preview of the arguments ahead. Stephen R. Jaffe,…
Read MoreJenkins testimony continues in discrimination suit
On the sixth day of testimony Thursday, Sergeant James Jenkins, a plaintiff in the discrimination lawsuit against the city of Richmond, police Chief Chris Magnus and former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter, testified that there was a buddy system in place when it came to picking candidates for the Richmond Police Department’s Investigative Services Division. In…
Read MoreSergeant testifies he was denied promotion in descrimination suit against Chief Magnus
In 2007, eight high-ranking African American police officers sued the city of Richmond, accusing police Chief Chris Magnus and former Deputy Chief Lori Ritter of racial discrimination. The civil trial is now in its third week in Contra Costa Superior Court in Martinez. The plaintiffs—one of whom has since retired from the department and dropped…
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