Calling out racial bias inside a public defender office invites retaliation

Evidence

I said, “We all have prejudices—me too—but as public defenders, we should try to at least know that and account for it in some way.” She asked her colleagues if they thought that Paul would have perceived this young man as being able to do six years “standing on his head” if he had been White, middle class, and from a suburb. Her comments were dismissed as being overly sensitive. In the room were only a few women and minorities. Maybe that was the problem. After the meeting, an African American supervisor told Andrea that she “had done it now.” He said, “It’s one thing if I speak about race. It’s viewed as self-interest. But if you do it, it is viewed as betrayal.” When Andrea went out to her car that night, both front tires had been slashed. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 700 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Defense attorneys avoid discussing racial bias because they fear it as a weakness — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 694; Speaking up about race in an all-male white-dominated room triggers retaliation — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 700; Ignoring racial bias in defense work is a self-serving strategy (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Institutions penalize those who raise race bias rather than the biased conduct #expands (0.92) — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 700