Say it isn’t so. Reverse discrimination in “the 618”? According to a federal lawsuit, it may be true.
East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. and City Manager Robert Betts have been named in a federal lawsuit against ESL. Among the allegations by plaintiffs Wyatt Frazer and Della Murphy are that they were dismissed as Police, Fire and Civil Service Commissioners as the result of their advocacy for the hiring of a white man as police chief back in 2007.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Thomas E. Kennedy III, revealed that former Illinois State Police Deputy Director Ronald Grimming was denied the position of ESL top cop, with Mayor Parks allegedly telling Frazer and Murphy “the City wasn’t ready to hire a white police chief.”
Michael Baxton Sr., an African American (and Parks’ choice), was selected over Grimming, but eventually left office in disgrace, amid a history of mishandling homicide investigations and credibility issues regarding the hiring of police officers with criminal histories. One officer even took his oath while being sought on an outstanding warrant for domestic battery.
Parks could not be reached for comment, but was quoted in the Belleville News-Democrat as referring to the accusations as “ridiculous and unfounded” and, then, went on to state that “I am looking forward to going to court. The only thing I am not looking forward to is wasting my time and spending the taxpayers’ money.”
This lawsuit comes at a time when Parks will, likely, also face federal prosecutors during the trial of his hand-picked ex-deputy liquor commissioner Walter Hill, who faces federal charges for his alleged shakedown of liquor establishments in ESL.
The lawsuit by Frazer and Murphy also asks for unspecified relief for alleged retaliation against the plaintiffs’ rights to free speech, stating that the “defendants thereafter fired all of the candidates hired by [Frazer and Murphy] and hired several new officers and employees based on their racial and political beliefs.”
Now, truth be told, no one looks forward to defending themselves in federal court. If Parks chooses to insult our intelligence by pretending that he does, then he is either insane or assumes that we are.
Secondly, I truly hope (for the sake of ESL) that Parks wasn’t dumb enough to verbally express that “the City wasn’t ready to hire a white police chief.”
Given the budgetary challenges facing the city, the upcoming (and potentially embarrassing federal trial of Walter Hill) the last thing that “East Boogie” needs is to lose a federal lawsuit over an avoidable case of reverse discrimination.