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DETROIT NATIVE SUN
DETROIT NATIVE SUN
By Valerie D. Lockhart
SUN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
A bouquet of flowers sat on a file cabinet near Officer Kelley Mays’ desk, serving as a visual reminder of appreciation and enlightening her mood.
The veteran officer for the Detroit Public Schools Community District worked tirelessly investigating school cases and acts of violence but smiled each time she retrieved a file.
Suddenly, her mood changed and her smile faded, when Deputy Chief Ronald Johnson approached and asked, "Who got flowers?" When Mays responded it was she, Johnson then stated to her "Damn, who got you those Gordy (Det. Gordon Hampton) or Smitty (Sergeant Emmitt Smith)? Shit Kelley had those guys going crazy over her? You must be putting it on (engaging in sexual activity) them!"
Male officers witnessing the incident reportedly laughed, but it was no laughing matter to victims of sexual harassment like Kelley.
“It was humiliating. It was demeaning,” Kelley said.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says, “Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII applies to employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations, as well as to the federal government. Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.”
Despite of reporting the harassment to the chief of police, school board, school administrators, employee relations, Office of the Inspector General, union and others, Johnson continued to make obscene comments to Mays asking, “What do you have down there, gold?”
No disciplinary action was taken against Johnson. Instead, he was promoted to chief and Mays was demoted from administrative sergeant to patrol officer, reassigned from the day to afternoon shift, and experienced other forms of retaliation.
“He made some very vulgar and sexist comments to her,” Mays’ attorney Eric Frankie said. “If you complain about it, it (should) be corrected. Kelley was subjected to retaliation. The very people that Kelley had complained to about sexual harassment and did nothing about it were the ones who fired her based on false charges I hope there will be accountability for such action.”
A $1 million lawsuit has been filed against the Detroit Public Schools Community District and members of its police department accusing them of covering up incidents of sexual harassment and retaliating against the whistle-blower.
Mays, who was previously the highest ranking female officer on the force, was terminated during a 2-hour closed door session at the school board meeting on March 20. She was allegedly terminated for working a second job. However those who disciplined her are reportedly supplementing their income by working a second job outside of the district. Her attorney said the action was another act of retaliation cited in the Michigan Civil Rights Act, MCL 37.2701(a).
Johnson reportedly retired from the district.
In addition to receiving her job back and not being denied promotions, Mays would like to see other changes result from her lawsuit.
“I would like for sexual harassment to be addressed so no one has to experience it. I would also like to see people held accountable for their actions. This should not be tolerated in the workplace,” she said.
The complaint was filed in the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court in Wayne County. Depositions of police officials are scheduled to take place later this month.
“I would like to say that the lesson is, if you complain about it, it will be corrected. Unfortunately, instead of addressing the complaint, they engaged in a campaign of retaliation against Kelley,” Frankie said. “They made up false allegations. Someone like Kelley who was a stellar employee on a very good career path experienced retaliation. I hope that people will learn that there will be accountability within the school district and outside of the district.”
