A decorated Black female Miami cop is suing the city for $1 million, alleging harassment, racial discrimination and retaliation that she says derailed her career.
40-year-old Weslyne Lewis Francois, an 18-year veteran of the Miami Police Department, is accusing Chief of Police Manuel Morales of orchestrating a “campaign of racist and discriminatory actions” that led to her demotion.
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Francois claims the harassment initially began in 2020 after she was promoted to commanding officer.
During that period, Morales criticized her natural hairstyle and required that she “tone it down”. It was the same time she was assigned to the predominantly white, affluent Coconut Grove community.
“It’s not just about my hair. This is about the systematic belittling of Black women in positions of power,” Francois said in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Morales’ remarks initiated 290 days of hostility.
“Chief Morales was relentless on how my look was not acceptable,” Francois said. “His actions were aimed at undermining the identities of Black women, reinforcing a narrative of superiority that positioned them as lesser individuals.”
Francois served in the U.S. Army before she joined the police force and quickly rose through the ranks to become commander.
Her leadership in Coconut Grove earned lots of praise, including a 2021 profile by a local business group.
Despite the recognition she received over the years, Morales allegedly used her hairstyle as a means to question her professionalism, and he compared it to another Black officer’s shorter cut, implying that it was “too ethnic.”
“What began as comments about her hairstyle then escalated into retaliatory actions,” Francois’ attorney, Michael Pizzi, told the Miami Herald.
Francois also claimed that while she was on vacation, he assigned her the impossible task of organizing a Veterans Day honor guard with less than a 24-hour notice.
Though she completed the task, Francois was informed that the “chief was not happy”, and soon after, her honor guard duties were reassigned.
The lawsuit also mentions public humiliation, baseless evaluations and retaliation from Morales to the black female Miami cop.
Morales allegedly berated Francois in front of colleagues and often questioned her professionalism.
She was also reprimanded for failing to respond to an incident while injured, which is a standard not applied to her male colleagues.
Francois’ supervisor, Major Umberto Ramos, allegedly kept close tabs on her, seeking negative feedback, and it raised concerns about systemic racism.
He is also accused of using the N-word to refer to a Black car crash victim.
According to reports, Assistant Chief Thomas Carroll acknowledged the unfair treatment and said to Francois, “We know what this is about… You know he is not going to stop.”
The decorated black female Miami cop was demoted to lieutenant in 2022 and her appeals to City Manager Art Noriega also went unanswered.
Francois is now seeking $1 million in damages and a jury trial, alleging the city failed to address a hostile work environment and violated anti-discrimination laws.
The City of Miami has however denied the allegations. “The City looks forward to its day in court,” a spokesperson said. Chief Morales has not commented publicly.
Many are eyeing how the situation unfolds in days to come, believing that Francois deserved better.
