Last year SDOG sued the City of San Diego to obtain copies of the city council’s closed-session transcripts showing that former mayor Bob Filner treated former assistant city attorney Andrew Jones in a manner that Jones described as comparable to the treatment suffered by civil-rights figure Rosa Parks. City attorney Jan Goldsmith refused to turn over the transcripts even though his office unilaterally turned over redacted transcripts for a subsequent closed-session meeting showing a Filner-Jones altercation, without ever seeking the city council’s approval. You can read the complaint here: 15_P’s_Amended_Complaint.
Here’s what Jones told U-T San Diego about the earlier incident: “‘He’s (verbally) attacked me in closed session to the extent that at one point he asked if I would sit in the back of the room,’ said Jones, who is black. ‘I, of course, considered it something similar to asking Rosa Parks to sit in the back of the bus. I was extremely offended by it but in deference to my boss I decided not to make a big deal out of it. But clearly he has a problem with me. I’m not sure why.'” You can read the article here: UT_2013-04-15_Young_RosaParks.
Judge Richard E.L. Strauss recently agreed with SDOG and ordered the city to turn over redacted transcripts from the closed-session meetings at which the alleged offensive comments by Filner to Jones took place. You can read his ruling here: 54_Minute_Order.
Today the city attorney’s office turned over redacted transcripts showing two verbal exchanges between Filner and Jones. You can read those exchanges here: 58_Redacted_Transcripts.
Is this treatment akin to what Rosa Parks experienced?
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