By Dianne Anderson

Zuriah McKnight, the only full-time Black officer in the Val Verde Unified School District based in Perris, says he was subjected to consistent racism, hostility and harassment, and faced false investigations despite his steadfast commitment to his students and safe schools.

So says the lawsuit against the district and its Police Department filed recently by civil rights attorneys Mika Hilaire and Chloe Banker of Equal Rights Law Group. Among multiple allegations, the complaint said McKnight was bullied and disparaged for speaking out against racism, was ostracized, and the district has smeared his name.

Attorney Hilaire spoke of racism being all too common in the workplace at a recent press conference, and how it is shocking considering McKnight’s dedicated work background, and respect by his students.

She said the district must be held accountable for its actions.

“Unfortunately, when you have retaliation and other officers and individuals see that, that’s a problem. It acts as basically a muzzle on individuals and it prevents people from wanting to speak out because no one wants to end up in this spot,” Hilaire said.

McKnight said his journey since being hired in 2019 has been marked by obstacles that are not isolated incidents. He is the only African American full-time officer in the department, along with just two reserve African American officers “that come in from time to time,” and to his knowledge, one full-time female officer.

“Racial disparities have plagued law enforcement for too long, it affects not just me, but countless officers like me. It is an issue we must confront,” said McKnight. “Discrimination in various forms became a constant reality for me.”

His emotional well-being suffered under attempts to discredit and tarnish his reputation, he said. When he advocated for himself and the female officer, he faced harassment, retaliation, and endured constant threats to his career.

However, McKnight stressed that he will continue to work to advocate for a fair and just law enforcement environment.

“I want to make it clear that I am not alone in this struggle. There are many officers facing the same obstacles, and it is essential that we unite to address the issues that persist within the system,” he said.

Val Verde Unified School District and VVUSD police department did not respond to several phone calls and emails by press time.

The civil lawsuit alleges blatant racism and daily microaggressions, including that he was denied the same kind of training available for white officers.

Last year, KABC news featured Officer McKnight while at Orange Vista High School in Perris for his inspirational dance moves in police uniform at a rally that went viral on YouTube. The whole student body was up dancing along, but from that point, the harassment at work intensified.

Since hired, the suit said he noticed a difference in the treatment of Black and white officers. He often dealt with racist comments and digs, including the Chief of Police asking if he was going to “eat fried chicken.” In reference to an African American dinner at the school site, one employee said, “What don’t they have an all-white people dinner?”

Beyond discrimination, the suit alleges McKnight was reprimanded for the same kind of job related issues that white officers got away with. According to the complaint, when he spoke up for one female officer who was injured, the police chief said, “If she was at home like she should have been, she wouldn’t have been shot.”

In speaking out against discrimination, McKnight said the retaliation resulted in him needing to take medical leave to preserve his health. The suit contends he was threatened by his supervisors and by the Chief of Police, and he was not informed of the “false investigations” against him, which violates the Peace Officer Bill of Rights.

Deborah Griffin, spokesperson for the Equal Rights Law Group, said discovery has not been conducted to determine how many racial or discrimination lawsuits are current or in the past against the VVUSD School District and its police department.

Although the lawsuit references discrimination against women, the firm is not representing others in the suit. She said the hopeful outcome or remedy is that McKnight wants accountability by VVUSD.

“He has been significantly harmed and forced to endure disparate treatment. He wants to ensure that no other individual faces the same treatment. Mr. McKnight is also seeking to be made whole for the economic losses that he has suffered,” she said in an email.