Reposted from @atlblackstar The Drug Enforcement Administration has long been known for its lack of diversity. However, DEA recruits say the agency’s diversity problem stems from systemic racism. In a scathing report by The Associated Press, Black and Hispanic trainees detailed racist treatment by DEA supervisors and training officers. According to an internal complaint obtained by the AP, an instructor at the agency’s training academy in Virginia called a Black recruit “the monkey” and made “monkey noises” on the loudspeaker to taunt Black trainees. “We were like, ‘It’s 2019. That shouldn’t even be a thing that we’re dealing with,’” former trainee Derek Moise told AP. “Everybody knows what those sounds and noises stand for.” The instructor in question, Special Agent Jay Mortenson, retired without being disciplined. The DEA said he left while the investigation was still ongoing, which ended the inquiry. The agency did issue a statement that it “takes allegations of misconduct very seriously and will not tolerate discriminatory behavior of any kind.” Former recruit Theo Brown, who is Black, tells a different story. He said his unfair dismissal in 2018 was prompted by racism in the ranks. “They weren’t going to let me graduate and become an agent no matter what,” Brown told AP. “They put you in situations where they can fail you at something subjective, and it’s basically your word against theirs.” Brown said he was sprayed with pepper spray three times during a training exercise, while other recruits were sprayed once. Claims of racial bias are not new for the agency. In 1977, Black agents filed a civil rights lawsuit alleging the DEA promoted based on race. The agents won and the DEA was ordered to make changes. However, last year a judge ruled the agency had not lived up to the mandate. • • • #blacklivesmatter #blm #racialinjustice https://www.instagram.com/p/CGtkFfIj9K_/?igshid=164b8pp0hf763
