A former Inglewood police officer who was fired for punching a black teenager and slamming him against a patrol car in 2002 was awarded $1.6 million Tuesday by a jury that heard a discrimination lawsuit he and his disciplined partner brought against the city. Ex-Inglewood officers Jeremy Morse and his then-partner, Bijan (BEE'-zhan) Darvish, both white, sued the city for firing Morse and suspending Darvish after their scrap with Donovan Jackson in 2002. Darvish was awarded 810-thousand dollars. The assault charge against Morse was dismissed last year after juries in his two criminal trials had deadlocked. The first jury acquitted Darvish of filing a false report. Inglewood Police Chief Ronald Banks, who is black, says race wasn't a factor in his decision to discipline the officers. Banks says he's shocked at the verdict and the size of the awards, which he called ridiculous. On July 6, 2002, a bystander videotaped Morse punching handcuffed Donovan Jackson in the head and slamming him onto a patrol car. Morse, who is white, said he reacted to Jackson grabbing his testicles. The videotape was recorded from an angle that doesn't show whether the grabbing actually occurred. Morse was fired in September 2002 and Darvish was suspended for 10 days for filing a false police report that failed to mention his partner's conduct. The two men filed a discrimination lawsuit against the city of Inglewood in February 2003, alleging reverse discrimination, Smith said.[more] and [more] and [more]
- Police Case May Haunt Cities. The family of the teenager, Donovan Jackson, expressed disappointment over the jury award, which included $811,000 for Morse's partner, Bijan Darvish, who remains with the Inglewood Police Department. "It seems they're getting millions of dollars for beating someone," said Nancy Goins, the teenager's aunt. "I don't have any dislike for police officers, they have a hard job. But when you run into officers who take it upon themselves to do things to others they would not want done to themselves, that's not fair, and that's not right." Some experts believe the award might make police departments, which in the past have been accused of being too soft on officers accused of excessive force, think twice about how they discipline them in the future. [more]
- Congresswoman Maxine Waters condemns
damage awards for Inglewood officers. Congresswoman Maxine Waters,
Inglewood's mayor and several dozen other officials and activists from
the local black community gathered today outside Inglewood City Hall to
condemn a jury award of two-point-one (m) million dollars. Mayor
Roosevelt Dorn said he will try to convince the city to appeal the
verdict or seek a ruling from the judge to overturn the jury's verdict
or grant a new trial. Waters called the jury award "sad" and said it
sends the wrong message that officers are being rewarded for
misconduct. She said, "Justice still awaits in this case." [more] and [more]