Source: San Francisco Examiner
By: Jonah Owen Lamb
Date: May 10, 2015
Related Staff: John T. Affeldt
Officers for Justice, founded in 1968 by a handful of black and minority officers fed up with unfair treatment in an overwhelmingly white department, is seeking to grow membership and rekindle activism under the leadership of new head, Yulanda Williams. Officers for Justice has played a role for decades, acting as a prod for equitable treatment of minorities and women within the department.
“Strength and height tests were among the unfair bars set for entry that kep minorities and women from either entering the force or advancing through its ranks, said John Affeldt, managing attorney and Public Advocates, the law firms that filed a discrimination suit in 1973.
“The suit was critical and very important to get the department to pay attention and empower the Officers for Justice and the other officers of color and women,” Affeldt said. Legal victory came in 1978 and federal oversight followed. A new, and fairer, testing regimen began, and height and strength tests were abolished.
