Black women's running group files lawsuit against Boston Marathon organizers and Newton police chief for racial bias
An African American women's running group has initiated legal action against the Boston Marathon organizers, the city of Newton, Massachusetts, and the Newton police chief, citing racial bias incidents within a cheer zone during the previous year's race.
A Black-led running group called TrailblazHers is taking legal action against the organizers of the Boston Marathon, the city of Newton, Massachusetts, and the Newton police chief. They claim that racial discrimination occurred in a cheer zone during last year's race.
The lawsuit, filed just before the 2024 marathon, accuses the organizers, city officials, and police of violating the plaintiffs' Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the law.
On the day of the race last year, the Newton police were accused of unfairly targeting and harassing spectators from TrailblazHers Run Co. and other running groups that mainly consist of people of color. A complaint was filed in a Massachusetts court regarding this incident.
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TrailblazHers set up a special "cheer zone" at Mile 21 in Newton and invited other running groups led by people of color to join. According to the complaint, there were over a hundred spectators at the zone, most of whom were people of color.
The group has been gathering at Mile 21 for the past four years, as mentioned in the complaint. This marker holds significance for the plaintiffs as it is a place where runners of color are recognized and celebrated. It contributes to creating a powerful and affirming experience for runners of color.
The lawsuit describes incidents of discrimination, alleging that White spectators were permitted to engage with and cheer on runners, while non-White spectators at Mile 21 were reportedly harassed by police and instructed to stay away. Photos included in the lawsuit suggest that police officers and their bikes formed a "human barricade."
According to the complaint, police allegedly created a "human barricade" to separate non-White spectators from the event, while White spectators in similar positions did not face the same treatment.
The complaint states that for individual members, police profiling and scrutiny can turn a day that should be joyful and festive into one filled with pain, humiliation, and trauma.
Additionally, the complaint mentions that police on motorcycles not only formed a human barricade between the spectators and the runners but also positioned themselves on the street behind the Plaintiffs' cheer zone. This effectively surrounded and penned in the people of color in the cheer zone.
Shortly after the incident last year, Newton police responded to reports from the B.A.A. (Boston Athletic Association) about spectators crossing the rope barrier and getting in the way of runners. The police repeatedly asked spectators to stay behind the rope and not go onto the course. When spectators continued to ignore the instructions, the Newton Police Department, with additional officers, used bicycles to mark the course and ensure the safety of both runners and spectators.
Newton Police Chief John Carmichael addressed the lawsuit in a Facebook post on Friday. He stated that he stands by the decisions made that day and supports the actions of the officers who handled the situation appropriately, respectfully, and as expected.
The Boston Athletic Association, the group that plans the marathon, mentioned to CNN that they know about the complaint but have not looked into it yet.
They also mentioned that their main goal is to make sure everyone has a great time during the event.
TrailblazHers took part in 10 meetings with the Boston Athletics Association and city officials to address the incident. However, neither the police nor the association made any significant changes to prevent racial profiling and harassment from occurring again.
This year, a total of 30,000 individuals are set to run from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to Boston in the historic Boston Marathon. Since its inception in 1897, the race has drawn hundreds of thousands of spectators annually who enthusiastically support the athletes throughout their remarkable journey.
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TrailblazHers is supported by Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal group from Boston that fights against discrimination, as stated on their website.
In a news release on Friday, Lawyers for Civil Rights discussed police harassment at the marathon as part of a larger problem of racism in running. They mentioned the 2020 killing of Black runner Ahmaud Arbery.
Iván Espinoza Madrigal, executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, highlighted that overpolicing and hate crimes contribute to running being a predominantly white sport. He referenced the tragic incident where Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger, was killed while running in a residential neighborhood in Georgia. The events at Mile 21 in Newton are distressing, alarming, and retraumatizing for individuals who face repeated victimization simply for being Black and running.
TrailblazHers was created with the goal of promoting diversity within Boston's predominantly white and exclusive running community. The group currently boasts a membership of over 2,500 BIPOC runners.
Mirian Albert, a senior staff attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, stated that they are ready to take legal action if the BAA or local law enforcement participate in any discriminatory behavior similar to what spectators of color faced in Newton last year.
TrailblazHers has asked for a jury trial and the lawsuit is seeking “compensatory, punitive, and nominal damages.”
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The lawsuit
