Officer awaits discrimination complaint outcome
Madelyn Ragland
Assistant News Editor
Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: Campus News
After filing a reverse discrimination complaint against interim TSU Police Chief Sylvia Russell, one TSU officer waits on a ruling from the university's Department of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, EO/AA, to clear his name.
Roy Yoquelet, a white man, issued a formal complaint that Russell, a black woman, has discriminated against him and another white officer, Malcolm Perry, by accusing them of mishandling an on-campus situation at the Brown-Daniel library in November.
According to the EO/AA complaint letter Yoquelet filed, he feels that the reprimanding actions of Russell hurt his chances for promotion, removed his rightful status as supervisor and personally interfered with visits with his son.
"(Russell) relieved two minority officers from their duties and reassigned them based on one incident, which in (her) personal opinion, was not handled correctly," Yoquelet wrote in the letter he filed with the complaint. "It is, in reality, an opportunity for (her) to get rid of the only two minority leaders in this department based on (her) comments to me and others officers."
Russell and Michael Freeman, vice president for Student Affairs, declined to comment on the basis that the investigation is still in progress.
According to a Dec. 4, 2006, article in The Meter, three TSU students were apprehended and issued citations by TSUPD for 'disorderly conduct' at the library. Yoquelet and Perry were the officers on the scene that apprehended and handcuffed the students on Nov. 29, 2006.
Following the arrests, a Dec. 1, 2006, meeting was called between the students and Student Affairs officials, where a decision was made by Freeman and TSUPD officials to drop the charges against the students, according to Yoquelet.
Likewise, he said that in another Dec. 1, meeting with Freeman, then-Police Chief Carlton Bowen, then-Asst. Police Chief Russell, Sgt. Lawrence Hoggett, Lt. Phillip Beene and Officer Perry to discuss the situation at hand, he thought everything had been resolved.
Roy Yoquelet, a white man, issued a formal complaint that Russell, a black woman, has discriminated against him and another white officer, Malcolm Perry, by accusing them of mishandling an on-campus situation at the Brown-Daniel library in November.
According to the EO/AA complaint letter Yoquelet filed, he feels that the reprimanding actions of Russell hurt his chances for promotion, removed his rightful status as supervisor and personally interfered with visits with his son.
"(Russell) relieved two minority officers from their duties and reassigned them based on one incident, which in (her) personal opinion, was not handled correctly," Yoquelet wrote in the letter he filed with the complaint. "It is, in reality, an opportunity for (her) to get rid of the only two minority leaders in this department based on (her) comments to me and others officers."
Russell and Michael Freeman, vice president for Student Affairs, declined to comment on the basis that the investigation is still in progress.
According to a Dec. 4, 2006, article in The Meter, three TSU students were apprehended and issued citations by TSUPD for 'disorderly conduct' at the library. Yoquelet and Perry were the officers on the scene that apprehended and handcuffed the students on Nov. 29, 2006.
Following the arrests, a Dec. 1, 2006, meeting was called between the students and Student Affairs officials, where a decision was made by Freeman and TSUPD officials to drop the charges against the students, according to Yoquelet.
Likewise, he said that in another Dec. 1, meeting with Freeman, then-Police Chief Carlton Bowen, then-Asst. Police Chief Russell, Sgt. Lawrence Hoggett, Lt. Phillip Beene and Officer Perry to discuss the situation at hand, he thought everything had been resolved.
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