Washington D.C. assistant police chief says she was told to ‘have an abortion or be fired’
“My choice to have a baby was personal and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum,” Dickerson said during a community meeting NBC News reported.
Karen Arikpo, who was in the same training class with Dickerson in 1997, and her female sergeant gave Arikpo and the rest of the class the same ultimatum Dickerson was given The Hill reported.
“So later that day, I went and told my class sergeant that I was pregnant. And she said I needed to have an abortion and she referred me to a doctor in D.C. to get it done,” Arikpo said.
Arikpo told Fox 5 DC she believed she would take her experience to the grave, however, she was motivated to come forward when she heard Dickerson’s story. Both women have long careers with the D.C. Metro police. Dickerson has been on the force since 1988, and Arikpo has served 24 years for the D.C. Metro police.
Arikpo added if she could turn back time, she would’ve quit the force and had her child. Arikpo said she has tried for years trying to have a child but has been unable.
The women have come together to file a class-action suit against the department.
“They come together as a class here to describe how the MPD has, for decades, treated Black women police officers with contempt, to the point of systematic psychological abuse,” the lawsuit states. “As is often the case, the abuse is often not visible by looking at one person, or one incident.”
The women say they also witnessed widespread racism and hate by White D.C. Metro police officers during the 2020 Black Lives Matters protest in the nation’s capital.
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