A group of California police officers have sued the city of Palo Alto, California, for discrimination.
The city, which employs the officers, did so by allowing a Black Lives Matter street mural that features “anti-police” images, according to the Associated Press.
“Law enforcement officers, including Plaintiffs, were forced to physically pass and confront the Mural and its offensive, discriminatory, and harassing iconography every time they entered the Palo Alto Police Department,” the lawsuit maintains.
The AP reported that the mural was created 13 months ago following the death of George Floyd.
Among others, the artwork depicted the image was of a woman named Joanne Chesimard, who changed her name to Assata Shakur and was convicted in killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973. Shakur eventually escaped from prison and disappeared in Cuba, never to be found.
The mural also featured the logo of the New Black Panthers, which has been identified as a hate group that, as the AP noted, “has encouraged violence against white and Jewish people and law enforcement.”
The mural was reportedly removed in November, even though it was supposed to remain for a year.
The lawsuit further maintained that the officers have been harassed by City Hall and their own department for objecting.
“This has caused damage to their professional reputation, their ability to promote, their ability to be selected for other units, and their ability to work,” the complaint states. “Moreover, it has adversely affected their personal health and well-being, including medical expenses, that are anticipated into the future and may force an early retirement.”
According to the local media, Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada wrote in a blog post a year ago that the city valued its police, and that “temporary art is a means of expression on difficult issues and the Black Lives Matter mural is thought-provoking and spurs conversation.”
And apparently lawsuits.
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