*A federal judge has thrown out a discrimination lawsuit filed by a retired white Louisville police officer against the Louisville Metro Government after he was demoted for using the “N-word”
Aubrey Gregory, Jr. was demoted last year from major to lieutenant for using the “N-word” in a training program. Apparently, he uttered the racial slut after two other Black people used the word and did not face repercussions.
Federal District Court Judge Claria Horn Bloom dismissed Gregory’s lawsuit last month, saying he failed to prove “reverse discrimination.”
“Gregory has failed to cite to anything that suggests [Louisville officials] discriminate against the majority,” Bloom wrote.
The judge also pointed out that Gregory did not prove that officials conspired to deprive him of his rights.
“The [lawsuit] does not even hint at, let alone mention, a conspiracy, or contain any allegations which could be construed in this manner,” Bloom said in her decision.
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Gregory said he used the word during a recruit class meeting in may 2021, during a discussion about “-isms”.
Here’s more from Newsweek:
Upon entering the classroom, Gregory heard two Black men say the epithet while discussing its usage. One individual involved in the discussion was from Africa and described how he was not warned that the epithet is offensive in the U.S. but simply means “black” in his home country. The other man, a retired firefighter, responded saying the epithet has multiple meanings in the U.S., sometimes used to denote family or kinship in addition to offensive uses. The firefighter then turned to the class of recruits, telling them “they were going to hear the racial epithet in certain communities,” adding that Gregory could confirm because of his previous work.
“[Y]es, you are going to hear [the racial epithet] out there,” Gregory then said, according to court filings. “Sometimes it does mean family or like a kinship of shared struggle, and sometimes it is the most derogatory, disgusting word you will hear; but you are going to hear it.”
Days later, the Louisville Metro Government’s human resources investigated the incident. Gregory, who worked for the police force since 1999, was ultimately demoted.
He retired in August.
