The lawsuit states that Garcia has also put Blackwell in charge of the garage, record room, property room, permits and alarm administrator - “areas that are administrative and self-sufficient. The reassignment meant Blackwell went from supervising and overseeing 180 officers and civilians, including 25 ranking officers, on the patrol command to supervising 17 officers in Community Services. “On reassigning the plaintiff to Community Services, Garcia removed, without explanation and justification, approximately eighty school security guards and the Board of Education security operation from his command and oversight,” the lawsuit states. The suit states that on assigning Blackwell to Community Services, Garcia stripped from Blackwell’s command approximately 75 percent of what had been the scope of Community Services. “Since the plaintiff filed his internal complaint in which he expressed his opposition to the race discrimination to which he has been subjected by the defendant, Garcia, she has subjected him to a continuing course of retaliation,” the lawsuit states.Īmong those alleged retaliatory actions were the January 2021 reassignment of Blackwell from his position as patrol commander in Uniform Services Patrol to commander of Community Services. 24, 2020, the suit states, Blackwell was informed by legal counsel for the city that his complaint “has been referred for investigation to an independent investigator. On July 20, 2020, Blackwell filed an internal complaint with the Bridgeport Police Department alleging that Garcia, then the assistant chief, had “intentionally subjected him to racial discrimination in the terms and conditions of his employment, to harassment, ridicule, and other specified unfavorable employment practices,” his lawsuit states. Buturla, the lawyer representing the city, Ganim and Garcia. “The city denies any liability and will defend this matter vigorously,” said Richard J. The local branch of the NAACP recently called her disciplinary actions biased and unfair.Īnd three other police captains are currently suing the city claiming Garcia was not qualified to be made assistant police chief, the position she was appointed to before taking over when then-Police Chief Armando Perez was arrested by the FBI in the exam cheating scandal. “We will direct our comments when we proceed in court on this case.”īlackwell’s lawsuit is the latest battle for Garcia.Įarlier this year the Police Department’s union voted no confidence in her and the Guardians have asked that she be replaced as acting chief. “The complaint speaks for itself,” said Blackwell’s lawyer, Thomas Bucci. “The plaintiffs complaints to the defendant, Bridgeport, and its authorized agents, including Ganim, Garcia, and the city attorney for Bridgeport, concerning the harassing and unfavorable treatment to which he has been subjected have gone unheeded the defendant taking no action, what-so-ever, to protect the plaintiff, and to prevent the harassment and unfavorable treatment from continuing in the future,” the suit states. The lawsuit also cites as defendants, the city of Bridgeport and Mayor Joe Ganim.
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