Results: Chicago Police Officer sues to change his race - a victim of reverse discrimination

Officer Mohammad Yusuf, 43, alleges that the Chicago Police Department did not allow him to change his racial identity now that the CPD allows additional racial identifications to choose from. The lawsuit states that when Yusuf became an officer in 2004, there were four racial categories that an officer could choose from, so he selected Caucasian. Now, CPD allows officers to select from over nine different racial designations, the documents state. Do you think Officer Yusuf should be permitted to change his race since there are now more than twice as many designations since he was hired twenty years ago?

According to the court filing, Yusuf filed a claim to change his ethnicity since he identifies as Egyptian or North African but was rejected due to a "blanket prohibition" that CPD has that does not allow changing an officer's race in its records - however, officers ARE permitted to change their recorded gender. Yusuf claims in the court documents that he was required to take a 23 and Me test to confirm his race. He says he was still denied the alteration even after providing a biological test. Do you agree that Officer Yusuf should be permitted to change his listed race as one closer to his actual race - especially since he was able to prove - genetically - that he is not strictly Caucasian, as presently indicated?

The court filing alleges that in 2019, Yusuf scored in the first promotional tier yet was not promoted. The lawsuit claims that there have been over 75 merit promotions to Sergeant and less than five of those candidates identify as Caucasian. Do you think it is evidence of discrimination within the Chicago Police Department that in 75 promotions only 5 of those were for white police officers (less than 6%), even though white officers make up 50% of the Department?

"Despite Yusuf's exemplary qualifications and the purported race-neutral policy of the Merit System, Yusuf has been repeatedly bypassed for promotion in favor of less qualified candidates based on their race," the document stated. Do you think hiring or promoting someone strictly on the color of their skin and completely ignoring other qualifications - such as knowledge or skill - is a good idea?

Currently, Chicago is a city with a high crime rate compared to the national and state averages. The crime rate in Chicago in 2020 was 3,926 crimes per 100,000 people, which is 67% higher than the national average and 143% higher than the national average for violent crimes. Given this information, do you think the Chicago Police Department should focus on hiring and promoting the most qualified candidates instead of focusing strictly on someone's race (which clearly has not been working to promote the purpose of the police department)?