State rules former Metro Transit captain was discriminated against, lawsuit now pending
Metro Transit Police: A top cop, a laptop, and accusations of racism, sexism
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Brooke Blakey was volunteering at North Commons Park with Seeds to Harvest, a coalition of nonprofits teaching kids what it means to give back to their community. But Blakey never imagined her own efforts at giving back would cost her so much.
(FOX 9) - A lawsuit has been filed against the Metropolitan Council, which accuses the council of, through the actions of former Metro Transit Chief of Police Eddie Frizell, discriminating against two former Metro Transit police officers due to their race.
Lawsuit against Metropolitan Council
What they're saying:
The lawsuit filed against the Metropolitan Council, which oversees the Metro Transit Police Department, alleges that former Chief of Police Eddie Frizell targeted two former Metro Transit police officers for discipline to "appease the skepticism of some white employees" who doubted the two officers' promotions.
The officers who are suing the Metropolitan Council are former Metro Transit Captain and Chief of Staff, Brooke Blakey, and former Sgt. Sidney Jones.
This lawsuit comes after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights recently determined Metro Transit discriminated against Blakey.
According to the lawsuit, Frizell "abused his power" against Blakey and Jones by demoting them for his "own personal ambitions" as he wanted to be promoted to U.S. Marshal.
The lawsuit also alleges that Frizell "targeted" Blakey and Jones for discipline to "demonstrate to some white employees that he could be tough on Black officers."
The lawsuit is demanding a jury trial and asking for monetary damages exceeding $50,000. Also, if the former officers win the lawsuit, they are asking the Metropolitan Council to stop it's "discriminatory practice", remove the discriminatory discipline from their records and reinstate the former officers to their positions, with back pay. The lawsuit also asks for a public apology.
Accused of taking gifts
The backstory:
The lawsuit is based around Blakey and Jones being demoted from their positions at the Metro Transit Police Department following an Internal Affairs investigation into allegations they received laptops for their children who completed a community service project.
Metro Transit bans accepting gifts.
After the investigation, Blakey was demoted from Captain and Chief of Staff, to Sergeant, then down to officer. Jones was demoted from Sergeant to officer.
Blakey is now the Director of Neighborhood Safety for the City of St. Paul.
READ MORE: Metro Transit Police: A top cop, a laptop, and accusations of racism, sexism
What's next:
The Metropolitan Council has 21 days to respond to the lawsuit.
Read the full lawsuit below:
The Source: The lawsuit was provided to FOX by A.L. Brown from Capitol City Law Group, who is representing Jones and Blakey. Past FOX 9 reporting also contributed to this report.