Race Bias Claims Against Calif. Chief Tossed Out

A Contra Costa County jury on Tuesday rejected accusations of racial discrimination filed by seven black police officers against Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus, throwing out all claims of harassment and bias and awarding no damages.

As the jury's verdict in the three-month trial was read in a Martinez courtroom, one of the plaintiffs, Sgt. James Jenkins, appeared to collapse in his seat in the gallery. A juror, bailiffs and fellow plaintiffs rushed to his side, and he eventually recovered enough to walk out of the courtroom to be helped by emergency workers.

The jury also cleared now-retired Deputy Chief Lori Ritter and the city of Richmond of wrongdoing in the case. Magnus and Ritter are both white.

In addition to Jenkins, the plaintiffs in the racial discrimination civil lawsuit were Lt. Arnold Threets, Lt. Michael Booker, Lt. Johan Simon, Lt. Shawn Pickett, Capt. Eugene McBride and Lt. Cleveland Brown. They had asked for $18 million in compensation.

The officers filed their suit more than a year after Magnus was hired in January 2006 from Fargo, N.D. They said that after taking office he quickly favored staff that was not African American, including promoting Ritter over black officers, and made racially insensitive remarks such as asking if Juneteenth was a holiday "for shooting people." Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery.

Magnus' defense attorneys countered that the plaintiffs resented him because he was white, gay and an outsider, and took some of his actions or comments out of context.

"I don't see this really as winners or losers," Magnus said after the verdict. "I feel justice was definitely done, but I also feel we have our work still cut out for us."

"I have no animosity toward anyone. I want us to be able to move forward," he said. He added that he was glad Jenkins appeared to have recovered from his collapse.

Stephen Jaffe, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said, "Obviously my clients are extremely disappointed by the verdict. We're going to be exploring our options."

Jaffe added that he was astonished that the jurors rejected his clients' allegations. "I just don't get it," he said. "My reaction was, were these people in the same trial I was?"

Jenkins, he said, was recovered but shaken by the verdict. "He took it very hard," Jaffe said.

The jury forewoman, who did not want her name used and was among those who rushed to Jenkins' aid, said the evidence showed that "these actions were neither based on race nor were they outrageous conduct that exceeded all bounds of decency."

There were no African Americans on the jury.

A federal trial on a similar suit is scheduled to begin in November. Attorney Geoff Spellberg, representing the city and chief, said that in light of Tuesday's verdict, he hopes that case will be resolved before then.