A Black Florida cop is suing the City of Miami after she claims she was harassed for months and demoted because she refused to change her hairstyle.
Weslyne Lewis Francois, 40, filed a lawsuit in October, claiming that she was asked by Miami Chief of Police Manuel Morales to "tone down" her hair, which she refused, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Atlanta Black Star.
The woman began working for the police department after serving in the Army. She was promoted several times until 2020 after she was promoted to police commander, when Morales allegedly confronted said she needed to change her hairstyle because he claimed that the local community, Coconut Grove, would not welcome her like that, according to the lawsuit obtained by the Miami Herald.
Lewis Francois defended her hairstyle, telling Morales that it did not interfere with her job and that telling her to change it violated anti-discrimination laws, according to the lawsuit. However, she claimed that Morales went on to compare her hairstyle to that of a different Black female police commander, asking why her hair could not be like the other woman's "short" and "sleek" hairstyle, according to the lawsuit.
"The clear implication of his comment was that her hairstyle was somehow too Black or ethnic, and he wanted her hair to look more European like other hair he preferred," Michael Pizzi, Lewis Francois' attorney, told the Miami Herald. "Unfortunately, that's a very racist thing to say."
The harassment allegedly lasted for nearly 300 days. Morales later revoked Lewis Francois' honor guard duties after asking her to prepare details for a Veteran's Day event while she was on vacation.
Lewis Francois, who served with the Miami Police Department for 18 years, was later demoted to lieutenant in 2022. She claimed that she reported the harassment to the city manager in 2023, but did not receive a response, as reported by the Atlanta Black Star.
"...I've worked really hard, like many others before me, in order to obtain the position of police executive, and unfortunately...that was taken away from me due to the continued abuse of power and authority by [Morales] and his designee," Lewis Francois told the Miami Herald. "It's become very evident that all staff members are not held to the same standards."
Lewis Francois is seeking $1 million in damages in the lawsuit. The City of Miami denied the officer's claims in a statement to the Miami Herald.
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