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A Black former Inglewood police officer and Marine veteran sued
the City for racial discrimination Monday, alleging he was forced
out of the department because of his race and given alternative
job options for which he was not qualified.
Marcco Ware’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also alleges
retaliation, failure to prevent retaliation and discrimination and
failure to provide accommodations. Ware seeks unspecified
damages, including for lost wages and emotional distress.
“Defendant has destroyed plaintiff’s career and livelihood in
retaliation for his complaints,” the suit alleges.
A representative for the city did not immediately reply to a request
for comment.
Ware was hired in 2007 and was shot in the line of duty in March
2022 while serving in the K9 unit, according to the suit.
Three months later, while Ware was still off duty recovering, the
dog and the vehicle used to transport the K9 were taken from him
and never returned when he resumed work, the suit further states.
After Ware filed a grievance that was rejected by the police chief,
he took his case to human resources, saying, “This discrimination
is openly practiced and has gone unchecked for many years,” the
suit states.
Ware also complained about the chief’s personal license plate,
GRNMSTA, which the plaintiff believed implied “grand master,” a
term sometimes connected to the Ku Klux Klan, the suit states.
“This license plate is a sad reminder to the members of the
department and myself of the inherent biases and disparities still
prevalent within our system,” Ware wrote in his grievance,
according to the suit.
On the other hand, a lieutenant objected to Ware’s license plate,
“FKCKIRK,” and told the plaintiff he could face possible termination
if he did not cover the plate or remove the vehicle, according to
the suit, which further states that the plate was a tribute to Ware’s
mother, a longtime fan of Capt. Kirk and “Star Trek.”
Ware was placed on administrative leave in September 2023,
which he believes was in retaliation for his complaints, and the
following month, he filed a personnel complaint against the chief,
the suit states.
He was also suspended for more than a year without being told of
any allegations against him, and before returning to duty, a city
doctor claimed he couldn’t come back due to “poor decision
making,” the suit states.
In a false showing of an attempt to accommodate Ware, he was
offered alternative positions as an associate engineer in the city
water division, city attorney and senior plan check engineer, even
though he is neither an engineer or a lawyer, the suit states.
Ware has suffered emotional distress as well as substantial losses
in earnings and other benefits since losing his police officer job,
the suit states.
Source: MyNewsla.com
