The U.S. Marshals Service, like the U.S. Secret Service, is facing allegations of racial discrimination and degrading supervisors.
By Hope Yen
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Black employees of the U.S. Marshals Service filed a racial discrimination lawsuit Wednesday, saying they have been denied promotions by managers who belittled them as lazy.
The suit in U.S. District Court seeks broad changes in job practices at a law enforcement agency that has grappled with race bias accusations dating back to the 1990s. It cast the agency as a “good old boys network” that exploited loopholes to groom whites for leadership positions while reprimanding blacks for “trivial mistakes.”
Seeking to sue on behalf of 200 current or former black employees, the challenge alleges violations of federal civil rights laws. The suit is asking for damages of at least $300 million for lost back pay and harm suffered in a “hostile work environment.”
The allegations also come as black agents at the Secret Service, which protects presidents, their family members and other dignitaries, are making similar charges of denied promotions because of their race.
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