4 black Little Rock police officers file civil-rights lawsuit

Black police officers in Little Rock are suing the city over racial and age discrimination, a Chicago-based attorney announced Monday.

The four officers — Sgt. Willie Davis, officer Jackie Parker, Sgt. Derrick Threadgill and Lt. Earnest Whitten — are listed as plaintiffs in a federal civil-rights lawsuit filed Monday in the Eastern District of Arkansas.

"Let's not beat around the bush; there is rampant racism and racial discrimination that riddles the Little Rock Police Department," said their lawyer, Michael Laux, during a news conference.

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The lawsuit argues that the plaintiffs also faced a hostile work environment and retaliation from the department.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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