Current:Home > BackCourt upholds Milwaukee police officer’s firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest-InfoLens
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer’s firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
View Date:2024-12-23 19:10:25
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Officer Erik Andrade was involved in the 2018 arrest of Sterling Brown, who then played for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brown alleged that police used excessive force and targeted him because he is Black when they confronted him for parking illegally in a handicapped-accessible spot. He was talking with officers while waiting for his citation when the situation escalated. Officers took him down and used a stun gun because he didn’t immediately follow orders to remove his hands from his pockets.
Andrade was not involved with the arrest of Brown, but did transport him after his arrest.
Brown filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, police department and several officers who were involved in his arrest, including Andrade.
In the lawsuit, Brown referenced a series of racist memes posted on Facebook by Andrade. In one post hours after the arrest, Andrade wrote: “Nice meeting Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks at work this morning! Lol#FearTheDeer.”
The lawsuit alleges Andrade also shared a disparaging meme of NBA star Kevin Durant about three months later.
Andrade was fired in 2018 after being suspended for violating the department’s code of conduct related to his social media posts, not for his conduct during the Brown arrest.
Milwaukee’s police chief at the time, Alfonso Morales, said in Andrade’s disciplinary hearing that he was fired because the Facebook posts would be used to impeach his credibility in future criminal proceedings and that he therefore would be unable to testify.
Andrade deleted his Facebook account the day the lawsuit was filed. He sued the Milwaukee Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, which reviewed and upheld the chief’s decision to fire him. Andrade argued that his due process rights had been violated.
A Milwaukee County circuit court and a state appeals court both upheld his firing, leading to Andrade’s appeal to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
In a 5-2 decision on Tuesday, the high court said the police chief properly explained the evidence that supported firing Andrade and gave him a chance to respond.
“We conclude the Due Process Clause does not require a more exacting and rigid pre-termination process than what Andrade received,” Justice Brian Hagedorn said, writing for the majority.
The court also determined that the police chief followed the law when he listed the policies that Andrade violated and referenced the Facebook posts that formed the basis for the violations when he submitted a complaint to the Milwaukee Board of Fire and Police Commissioners.
Hagedorn was joined in the majority by justices Ann Walsh Bradley, Rebecca Dallet, Jill Karofsky and Janet Protasiewicz. Chief Justice Annette Ziegler and Justice Rebecca Bradley dissented.
The dissenting justices said they did not condone Andrade’s behavior, but they believed his due process rights had been violated.
Attorneys for Andrade and for the Milwaukee Board of Fire and Police Commissioners had no immediate comment.
Under a 2021 settlement, the city paid Brown $750,000 and apologized. The Milwaukee Police Department also said that it “recognizes that the incident escalated in an unnecessary manner and despite Mr. Brown’s calm behavior.”
Brown’s first three years in the NBA were with the Bucks, from 2017 until 2020. He also played for the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers before joining Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga and the EuroLeague in 2023.
veryGood! (22793)
Related
- Gold is suddenly not so glittery after Trump’s White House victory
- Police misconduct settlements can cost millions, but departments rarely feel the impact
- Dwyane Wade Reveals the Secret to His and Gabrielle Union's Successful Marriage
- America's Most Wanted fugitive who eluded authorities for decades sentenced for killing Florida woman
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- Police board votes to fire Chicago officer accused of dragging woman by the hair during 2020 unrest
- Coin flip decides mayor of North Carolina city after tie between two candidates
- US sanctions Iran-backed militia members in Iraq conducting strikes against American forces
- Early Week 11 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers
- Taylor Zakhar Perez Responds to Costar Jacob Elordi Criticizing The Kissing Booth
Ranking
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- More than 240 Rohingya refugees afloat off Indonesia after they are twice refused by residents
- First person charged under Australia’s foreign interference laws denies working for China
- High-ranking Mormon church leader Russell Ballard remembered as examplar of the faith
- Gisele Bündchen Makes First Major Appearance Since Pregnancy
- Bengals believe QB Joe Burrow sprained his wrist in loss to Ravens
- Why Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Belong Together, According to Jake From State Farm
- Russian artist sentenced to 7 years for antiwar protest at supermarket: Is this really what people are being imprisoned for now?
Recommendation
-
Sister Wives’ Madison Brush Details Why She Went “No Contact” With Dad Kody Brown
-
The Excerpt podcast: Body of Israeli abducted in Hamas rampage found
-
Police misconduct settlements can cost millions, but departments rarely feel the impact
-
K-Pop star Rose joins first lady Jill Biden to talk mental health
-
'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
-
Drake's new EP features song praising Taylor Swift
-
Bill Cosby accuser files new lawsuit under expiring New York survivors law
-
Russian authorities ask the Supreme Court to declare the LGBTQ ‘movement’ extremist