Picking Up His Payback

On Friday, Feb. 29, a U.S. District Court jury awarded D.C. police officer Randy Squires $225,000 in his discrimination case against the city. The case outlines Squires’ complaints that his former supervisor, Robert Atcheson, treated him unfairly because he is black (The District Line, “Management Bile,” 2/6).

The jury found that the supervisor, who is white, had created a hostile work environment based on racial bias, unfairly shut out Squires from overtime opportunities, and resorted to retaliation after the officer filed grievances. “His treatment of Squires from jump street was classic discrimination,” says Squires’ attorney Donald Temple. “Management needs to realize race discrimination is not a figment of these officers’ imagination.…There’s no doubt in my mind, if [Atcheson] stays in that position, he’s going to cost the city a lot of money.”

Atcheson, who was promoted to captain in December, did not return calls. Squires plays down the case’s impact: “It’s just a small war that I won,” he says.

(illustration by Josh Neufeld)