PC Says Allegations in Public Safety Officer's Racial Discrimination Lawsuit "Without Merit"
GoLocalProv News Team
PC Says Allegations in Public Safety Officer's Racial Discrimination Lawsuit "Without Merit"
As GoLocal reported, on June 26, John Dunbar, who is being represented by attorney V. Edward Formisano, filed the 11-page complaint in U.S. District Court.
It marks the latest action for Dunbar, who in April 2022 was joined by over 100 faculty, students and supporters to protest what he said had been the racially motivated harassment he had endured during decades on the job.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“There is no excuse for PC’s shortsightedness and its failure to act decisively over the years,” wrote Theodore Haig, PC ’70 and Vincent Marzullo, PC ’70, in an opinion piece for GoLocal the following month.
On Monday, PC responded to the lawsuit with the following statement.
“Lieutenant John Dunbar, who remains a member of the College’s Office of Public Safety, raised these unsubstantiated allegations over two years ago with the RI Commission for Human Rights. At that time, the College submitted significant information and documents to the Commission refuting those allegations," said Steve Maurano, Associate VP for Public Affairs, Government & Community Relations. "Lt. Dunbar has now chosen to assert these identical claims with the federal court. We remain confident that these claims are without merit and that the court will agree.”
According to Dunbar's lawsuit:
"On or about April 26, 2022, the Plaintiff timely co-filed a charge of discrimination against the Defendant with the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights (“RICHR”) and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”).
Thereafter, more than one hundred twenty (120) days, but less than two (2) years after the charge was filed, the Plaintiff requested that the RICHR issue a right to sue letter.
On March 28, 2024, the Plaintiff was issued a notice of right to sue by the RICHR and has timely instituted suit thereon.
On April 2, 2024, the Plaintiff was issued a notice of right to sue by the EEOC and has timely instituted suit thereon."
About Suit
According to the federal lawsuit filed last week, Dunbar, who is African-American, was hired by PC as a Public Safety Officer in 1991 — and is now the second highest-ranking officer in the department.
“While employed with [at Providence College], the [College’s] employees and/or agents subjected the Plaintiff to workplace discrimination on the basis of his race and color and retaliated against him for complaining about his discriminatory work environment,” Dunbar alleges in the lawsuit.
Dunbar says he first brought his concerns to the former Director of Public Safety in 2015, and that PC hired an outside firm to conduct an external review and make recommendations.
“In 2017, the [Dunbar] was formally promoted to Lieutenant. At this time, several of the Plaintiff’s coworkers expressed their beliefs to him that he was only promoted due to his race,” claims Dunbar in the lawsuit. “For example, Sergeant Jarvis verbally harassed the Plaintiff by accusing him of starting a rumor that he supposedly spit in the Plaintiff’s face.”
Dunbar outlined what he alleges were a number of incidents that he says violated his civil rights at the workplace, and took several leaves of absence.
In January 2022, Dunbar said he shared his continued concerns about the department with Jacqueline Peterson, an Advisor to the Defendant’s President as to Institutional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, that Deputy Chief Croce was regularly hiring Caucasian employees within the Public Safety Department.
According to Dunbar, as the only African-American male in the Department, he had been ostracized…and “ousted from the chain of command,” and his “job responsibilities of investigating off-campus incidents have also been eliminated.”
“The Plaintiff has also been excluded from participating in campus events that he is normally involved with, such as Early Admitted Students Day and Commencement,” states the lawsuit. “The discrimination and harassment the Plaintiff has experienced is due to his race and color and is offensive, severe and/or pervasive and has deprived him of the right to work in a non-discriminatory work environment.”
Dunbar is suing on three counts — unlawful discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; unlawful discrimination in violation of the Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act, and unlawful discrimination in violation of the Rhode Island Civil Rights Act of 1990.
He is seeking a declaratory judgment that PC “unlawfully discriminated” against him - and that he be awarded backpay, compensatory, and punitive damages.