A veteran California prison administrator has filed a lawsuit alleging he was unlawfully demoted after reporting racial discrimination within the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Kevin Robinson, a Black Muslim with more than 20 years at CDCR, says he was demoted from associate warden to lieutenant after raising concerns about racist comments and harassment. His complaint, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, accuses the department of retaliation, racial bias, and violating his religious rights when supervisors pressured him to shave his beard despite his faith-based exemption.
Robinson claims colleagues excluded him from meetings, stereotyped him as “aggressive” and “intimidating,” and dismissed his discrimination complaints. He alleges that an administrator warned him his career would suffer if he spoke out. After an internal investigation led by a supervisor he had previously accused of harassment, Robinson was demoted despite a recent positive review.
Robinson’s attorney, Kaveh Navab, called the case part of a broader pattern of racial bias within CDCR, citing a past incident in which a Black officer found a noose on his jacket and the colleague responsible was later promoted. CDCR has declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Leave a Reply