Over the last few years, the conversation about race and policing has been constant.

There have been questionable shootings of black people by police officers. Police officers have been acquitted of any wrongdoing. And one police officer has even said, "We only shoot black people."

Much of the focus has been on how police officers interact with those they are sworn to protect.

According to The Inquirer, however, there is some discontent in the Philadelphia Police Department over how race and policing works within the department.

This week, six black Philadelphia Police Department narcotics officers accused two of their white supervisors of being racist and corrupt.

Guardian Civic League president and retired police officer Rochelle Bilal called out Chief Inspector Anthony Boyle and Inspector Raymond Evers at a recent news conference, and suggested that each be removed from their posts. The Guardian Civic League represents Philadelphia's black officers as well as the city's NAACP chapter.

Two complaints against the supervisors were filed with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, one of which came from the unit’s highest-ranking black official, Staff Inspector Debra Frazier.

Five other police officers have filed anonymous complaints due to fear of retaliation. According to Center City attorney Brian R. Mildenberg, the black officers are seeking “a full investigation of these allegations,” and are exploring a civil lawsuit.

An anonymous complaint letter was sent to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross from the “Stressed Black Personnel of the Narcotics Bureau,” in late July 2017 outlining alleged incidents that led to a “racially hostile work environment.”

According to the complaints, Boyle allegedly called black civilians “scum,” and deemed black civilian killings as “thinning the herd,” Bilal and Mildenberg said.

Other complaints include alleging that Boyle and Evers have falsified arrest documents, have repeatedly denied overtime and work assignments to black officers and have allowed a white corporal to openly display the Confederate flag on his car, which is usually parked on city property.

“The crisis of discrimination is shown by the fact that a police corporal felt comfortable under the current commanding officers in parking his vehicle with a Confederate flag on it at the workplace,” Bilal said.

“The officers are coming forward now to bring it to light and to let the public know that there is an issue,” Mildenberg said. “And I might say that those officers are very brave for doing that.”

“Commanding officers have harassed and encouraged harassment and disrespect of African American police officers to the point where we believe that a crisis of racial discrimination exists at Narcotics,” Bilal added.

Due to the potential for litigation, Police Department spokesman Troy Brown declined to comment on the allegations.

Philadelphia cops

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