Copyright Atlanta Black Star
Without a shred of evidence, a white Pennsylvania state trooper who was fired after abusing a Black couple during a traffic stop has filed a lawsuit, claiming he was fired because of his race while insisting other Black officers have committed worse acts on duty, only to not be fired. But the lawsuit filed on Oct. 14 by former trooper Andrew Zaborowski is sparse on details and includes no examples of the other cases referred to in the federal lawsuit, which is the norm when making direct accusations in order to prove one’s case. According to Zaborowski’s claim: The decision to terminate plaintiff’s employment was based on his race and color. African-American and Black troopers employed by the PSP have committed serious offenses and have not been disciplined and/or have not suffered the harsh discipline of termination. Then there is white Pennsylvania state trooper Daryl Jay Elias, who filed his own lawsuit three days later, on October 17, accusing the Pennsylvania State Police of rejecting him for promotions because of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies that created “race and gender discrimination” against white male police officers. In his claim, Elias accuses DEI policies of allowing the attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump on July 13, 2024, claiming the trooper who had been promoted to lead the troop in Butler County where the attempted assassination had taken place refused additional resources from neighboring troops, resulting in a man climbing on a roof and firing shots, killing one person and wounding two others. ‘Injustice’: Mother of Black Man Who Died In Jail After Officers Ignored His Pleas Exposes Corrupt System Led By DA Charged In Ahmaud Arbery Case A troop is described by the Pennsylvania State Police as an “administrative boundary containing all the stations in a geographical area spanning several counties.” There are a total of 16 troops in the state, each named by a letter of the alphabet. The assassination attempt took place in Butler County, which is part of Troop D. However, he does not identify the police officer by name or race in the lawsuit, referring to the officer as a woman. And the Pennsylvania state trooper in charge of personnel that day, who testified to Congress about it, was a white cop named Lt. John D. Herold. According to Elias’ lawsuit: In the weeks prior to President Trump’s rally in Butler, this individual (hereinafter a “DEI Promotee”) had received at least two offers for additional resources to man the rally from lower-ranking officers in neighboring Troops. Inexplicably, the DEI Promotee in charge of Butler denied both of those offers, presumably because she lacked the qualifications and experience to serve in the high-ranking role she had been promoted to. But Herold blamed the United States Secret Service for allowing the attempted assassination to take place, according to a three-page statement provided to Congress. On Friday, July 5th, the USSS notified PSP that a rally for former President Trump would take place in Butler. On Monday, July 8th I and other commanders from PSP attended an initial planning meeting with various law enforcement agencies. I visited the site multiple times and completed the PSP Operations Plan leading up to July 13th. The PSP provided all resources requested by the USSS. The USSS did not ask me as the Officer in Charge of PSP for assets or to post a car or trooper at AGR International nor am I aware of USSS making that request to any other PSP officials. The First Lawsuit It was March 2, 2024, when Zaborowski pulled over Celena Morrison, a transgender woman who was executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, for “multiple vehicle code violations.” Morrison’s husband, Darius McClean, who is also transgender, was following Morrison when she was pulled over, so he pulled up his car behind Zaborowski’s patrol car. However, Zaborowski did not appreciate that and ended up violently handcuffing McClean. Morrison began recording after the cop had her husband on the ground on the side of the interstate. “That is my husband,” Morrison repeatedly tells the cop as he handcuffs McClean. “I work for the mayor.” Morrison can be heard accusing the trooper of punching her, but the camera had been knocked out of her hand and did not capture the punch. They were both arrested on charges of resisting arrest, obstructing justice, and disorderly conduct, but those charges were dismissed. And Morrison, who no longer works for the mayor, has filed her own lawsuit against the Pennsylvania State Police. Listed as defendants in Zaborowski’s lawsuit are Christopher Paris, a white man who is commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, along with the agency itself. According to Zaborowski’s lawsuit: Both of the occupants of the two vehicles were African-American. At the time of the arrest, and thereafter, the occupants falsely accused plaintiff of racial profiling and of assault and battery. Plaintiff’s actions regarding the traffic stop did not have anything to do with the occupants’ race. About two months after the aforementioned traffic stop, on May 10, 2024, without any hearing or notice, Defendant PSP and Defendant Paris discharged Plaintiff from his employment. Zaborowski’s lawsuit accuses the commissioner and department of discriminating against him based on the color of his skin by violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act as well as the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act. Watch Morrison’s video below. Elias’ Lawsuit Elias’ lawsuit includes more details than Zaborowski’s lawsuit, naming four female police officers he says were promoted to lieutenant over him despite having less experience and qualifications than him. The females listed in the lawsuit are Laura Klinger, Jennifer Ward-Trupp, Melissa Sanzick, and Heather Clem Johnston, who were sergeants promoted to lieutenant. But only one of those officers, Ward-Trupp, appears to be Black, according to photos published by local media. The rest appear to be white. But the female trooper he blames for the assassination attempt on Trump is not named, nor is she described by race. And the Pennsylvania State Police have already acknowledged that it was the white officer, Herold, in charge of personnel operations that day. But despite both Herold and Paris being white males in high-ranking positions, Elias claims that it was another white male in a high-ranking position, Lt. Kelly Lentz, who told him he needed to “grow a vagina” or “become darker” in order to be promoted. Elias, who is a sergeant, claims that Lentz even told him that the only reason he was promoted to lieutenant was because his first name was Kelly, which somehow confused his superiors into believing he was female. According to Elias’ lawsuit: Lieutenant Lentz further stated that he believed he was promoted only because his first name “Kelly” was mistaken for a female name, and added that “if you could grow a vagina, become gender fluid, or c you would be a fool for leaving here”—indicating Plaintiff could not expect promotion as a white male. On another occasion in January 2023, Lieutenant Lentz reiterated to Plaintiff: “being a white male in the lab, you’re not getting promoted without Troop time.” These statements by Plaintiff’s direct supervisors, including the Bureau Director and the Bureau’s EEO Liaison, reinforced a discriminatory policy and culture in which race and gender were determinative factors in advancement. History of Racial Discrimination Elias’ claim also states that the discriminatory practices against white male officers stems from a 1973 class action lawsuit filed by Black police officers accusing the agency of denying them promotions based on their race. But now the agency has “overcorrected” these practices to discriminate against white cops. At the time of the Bolden suit in the 1970s, PSP was discriminating in favor of white males. Present day, Defendants overcorrected and are now discriminating against white males by consistently promoting far less qualified nonwhite males with far less time in grade rank. Indeed, Defendants’ bias against nonwhite males has permeated the department to such an extent that PSP officials have been openly flaunting their discriminatory promotion practices Despite his superior qualifications, extensive training, commendations, and experience, Plaintiff was repeatedly passed over for promotion to Lieutenant in favor of individuals with substantially fewer years in grade and lesser qualifications. Like Zaborowski’s lawsuit, Commissioner Paris is also listed as a defendant in Elias’ lawsuit along with the agency, and also accuses the defendants of violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act. As of the filing of this action, Plaintiff remains a Sergeant despite more than eight and a half (8.5) years in grade, two (2) station commands, extensive leadership training, and nearly two (2) decades of unblemished service. The PSP’s discriminatory promotion practices have denied Plaintiff equal opportunity for advancement, reduced his career earnings, and caused continuing harm to his reputation, career trajectory, and retirement prospects. But even if there is some truth behind the allegations listed in both lawsuits, Pennsylvania state troopers still search the cars of Black drivers they pull over almost twice as much as they do white drivers, according to a 2022 study.
