🚀 go-pugleaf

Nigger News Service wrote:
> Police diversity efforts at risk after ruling, some fear
>
> http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/mar05/313862.asp
>
> In the decades-long push to diversify the ranks of the Milwaukee
Police
> Department, progress has been measured in numbers and percentages.
But the
> verdict Tuesday in a federal discrimination lawsuit shifts the debate
to
> names and people.
>
> That is, while the department's upper ranks became more diverse under
former
> Police Chief Arthur Jones, the jury found that 17 white men were
> discriminated against when it came to individual promotions to
captain.
>
> Many say Tuesday's ruling, which could result in the court-ordered
> appointment of some of the 17 men to captain, sets back the push -
that came
> under the direction and guidance of federal courts - to assure that
more
> women and minorities make it to the top.
>
> Others say it is a harsh lesson in what happens when numbers are the
goal
> and individual acts of reverse discrimination take place in the rush
to meet
> the target.
>
> Indeed, Jones stressed Tuesday that of the 41 promotions he made to
captain
> in his seven-year tenure, 21 were white men - slightly more than
half.
> Nevertheless, the jury found in favor of each of the 17 plaintiffs,
who
> argued they were bypassed in favor of less qualified women or
minorities.
>
> Tuesday's ruling came after a three-week trial in federal court. The
same
> jury will now decide what damages to award the men. Each is seeking
> $300,000, plus other damages.
>
> Among the many twists: As a young officer, Jones was part of a 1974
> complaint and a follow-up lawsuit that led to court orders to improve
the
> hiring and promotion of minority officers. As the city's first
permanent
> African-American chief, Jones engaged in discrimination himself, the
jury
> found.
>
> And Jones, who sought but was not given another term as chief, has
filed his
> own federal discrimination lawsuit against the city. He alleges
improper
> actions by the Fire and Police Commission and ex-Mayor John O.
Norquist, who
> had backed his initial selection as chief.
>
> Common Council President Willie Hines said Tuesday's verdict sends a
poor
> message.
>
> "It really continues to speak of the double standard this chief
served
> under," Hines said. "His actions were no different than any previous
chief
> in terms of the promotional process."
>
> Promotions to captain, Hines said, have largely been at the
discretion of
> the chief.
>
> But frequent foe Bradley DeBraska, former president of the Milwaukee
Police
> Association, labeled Jones "an urban disaster."
>
> "How many cases does the city have to lose based on his conduct
before
> somebody stands up and states the obvious?" DeBraska said. "He was
> tyrannical and he was discriminatory and, overall, the worst chief
the city
> of Milwaukee has ever seen."
>
> Painful impact
> The ruling could mean a jolt to city finances and taxpayer wallets,
and it
> might have a long-term effect on the department. For instance, the
court
> could order some of the officers promoted to captain, where they
would have
> to work with others criticized as unqualified during the trial.
>
> As a practical matter, there will be more captains than needed, which
could
> mean future vacancies could go unfilled until the command staff gets
back to
> its current size.
>
> "I think the city is only beginning to reap what it has sown under
the Jones
> administration," said Ald. Bob Donovan, chairman of the council's
Public
> Safety Committee.
>
> Some said the fallout would be communitywide, not just within the
> department.
>
> "This verdict effectively puts a wedge between the white commanders
and the
> community," said Lenard Wells, a former police lieutenant who was a
frequent
> Jones critic. "This is a black eye to all of us who attempted to end
> discrimination in the Police Department and at the same time get
> African-Americans, women and other minorities in high ranking
positions."
>
> Jones and Wells, who is African-American, were among the black
officers
> involved in 1970s claims and lawsuits against the city over hiring
and
> promotion practices.
>
> The group would later form the League of Martin, an association of
black
> officers.
>
> Its efforts led to a 1984 consent decree - an agreement by both sides
on how
> to proceed - on hiring goals and practices.
>
> Face of department changed
> That federal order, which effectively ended in 1997, imposed hiring
quotas
> that changed the face of the Police Department, requiring that 40% of
all
> new officers be minorities and 20% be women.
>
> Before the consent decree, under then-Chief Harold Breier, blacks
> represented 8% of the department, but none was above the rank of
sergeant or
> detective.
>
> Despite improvements in the numbers, and the consecutive appointments
of a
> Hispanic, African-American and woman as chief, some argued Tuesday
that the
> verdict would set back the relationship between the department and
> minorities.
>
> "The verdict is just outrageous," said Jerry Ann Hamilton, president
of the
> local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored
> People. "If (the jury) can't condone having a department that
reflects the
> city, what does this say about our diverse community?"
>
> Similar thoughts were echoed by William Wade, a retired police
officer, and
> Ald. Ashanti Hamilton, who said he was in disbelief over the verdict.
>
> Wade said the 17 white officers who brought the suit against the city
may
> have won but the city and the department are the ultimate losers.
>
> "There's going to be a rift in the department," Wade said. "You may
not hear
> about it, but there will be."
>
> Hamilton, a first-term alderman, agreed.
>
> "Some of the issues brought forth in the trial were just absolutely
> embarrassing, especially since they were brought by co-workers who
had to
> depend on one another in life-and-death matters and getting the job
done,"
> he said. "Then you turn around and call them incompetent. There were
some
> very strong reasons why they had not been promoted as well."

And the beat goes on toward a "more degenerate" society!

http://www.natall.com/

John