5 Black Officers Awarded $16M After White Colleague Told Them ‘I Own You’

Photo: Getty Images Five former and current Black University of Washington police officers have been awarded $16 million after accusing the department of racism and discrimination, the Atlanta Black Star reports. Last week, a jury found the University of Washington Police Department guilty of the allegations lodged against them by plaintiffs Russell Ellis Jr., Gabriel Golden, Hamani Nowlen, Damien Taylor, and Karinn Young. According to their lawsuit, Black officers faced “widespread acts of racial harassment and discrimination” within the UW Police Department, including the use of the N‐word and other racial slurs, racist stereotypes, and physical intimidation. The lawsuit also alleged that management would threaten Black officers who reported misconduct and block their promotion attempts. “UWPD has a culture of racial insults and mistreatment that UWPD management is aware of and sometimes directly involved in,” the lawsuit stated. “In addition to the pervasive racial harassment, UWPD managers have also threatened Black officers to keep them from seeking promotions and retaliated against those who have reported misconduct.” The lawsuit cited instances of harassment starting from 1998 when one white sergeant allegedly distributed flyers with racist stereotypes and jokes. After a Black officer reported the flyers, the sergeant was ordered to take...