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The city of Boston has reached an agreement to pay $2.6 million to Black law enforcement officers, settling a federal discrimination lawsuit centered around the use of hair follicle drug testing.
Under the terms of the settlement, three Black officers and one cadet who faced either termination or reprimand due to the controversial hair testing will each be awarded $650,000.
Oren Sellstrom, the Litigation Director at Lawyers for Civil Rights, the nonprofit organization that represented the officers, expressed relief at the lawsuit’s resolution.
Sellstrom told The Associated Press, “As a result of this flawed test, our clients’ lives and careers were completely derailed. The city has finally compensated them for this grave injustice.”
Sellstrom went on to highlight the ramifications of false labeling, explaining that numerous officers were terminated for false positive drug tests, forcing many to leave the field altogether.
Boston is getting an expensive lesson in melanin
He underscored the broader consequences for the residents of Boston, who were deprived of having exemplary police officers on the force due to wrongful terminations.
The discrimination lawsuit, filed in 2005, alleged that the hair test disproportionately affected Black individuals due to their hair’s heightened susceptibility to false positives.
Hair tests have been proven to be unreliable in detecting the use of drugs because melanin in the hair can pick up a wide range of substances from the environment.
Black people have higher amounts of melanin in their hair coupled with the use of ethnic hair products makes them disproportionately susceptible to receiving false positives.
Mayor Michelle Wu released a statement affirming the significance of the settlement in ensuring fair treatment for every officer.
Wu stated, “This settlement marks the conclusion of an important process to ensure that every officer is treated fairly.”
She further emphasized ongoing efforts to foster trust within the force and the community, as well as aiming to support a workforce that is reflective of the community being served.
Hi folks at Black Wall Street Times. I often find it impossible to finish reading your articles. After 2 paragraphs, i get ads–many ads—and can’t find the rest of the article. I am happy that you have ad revenue but I would really like to be able to read your stories.
Thanks.
Nancy Rosen
I wonder when the hair follicle drug test was being developed, what was the base reference hair type. Let me guess, “white people hair”. Dry. Thin. Washed daily. Blond. Less melanin. Perhaps ? because of this, tested drug samples may have minimal residue. Too minuscule sample results inconclusive. In favor of a negative test.
Black people lost again.
Need innovative creativity that can benefit many; however, blacks are the standard—not the disparity.
Tracy T