A decorated Miami police commander is speaking out after suing the city for alleged harassment, racial discrimination, and retaliation that culminated in her demotion.
“I’m just fighting to protect the rights of equality in the workplace, and these rights are sacred and non-negotiable, Lieutenant Weslyne Lewis Francois told CBS Miami during a press event on Monday.
Francois, 40, who has served in the Miami Police Department for 18 years, is accusing the Chief of Police Manuel Morales of orchestrating a “campaign of racist and discriminatory actions aimed at undermining her career.”
Francois claims that the harassment began when she was commander of Miami PD’s Coconut Grove District in 2020.
Her leadership in Coconut Grove earned widespread praise from local organizations, including a glowing 2021 profile by the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, which highlighted her ‘nurturing touch’ in serving the community.
Despite the recognition, Francois claims Chief Morales took issue with her appearance after seeing a social media post of her. She alleges Morales used her hairstyle as a pretext for undermining her position and told her to “tone down her look as it would not be accepted by the Coconut Grove community.”
“He compared my hairstyle to another Black female officer with a shorter cut, implying that I was less professional because of how I chose to wear my hair,” Francois alleges.
Francois claims she pushed back, asserting that her hairstyle adhered to departmental policy and had no impact on her ability to lead.
Chief Morales, however, persisted, comparing her natural hairstyle to a colleague’s “sleek, straight cut” and insinuating that her look was “too ethnic.”
“(Chief Morales was) referring to the fact that she is a Black, Haitian, Bahamian female, and that’s how she looks,” said her attorney, Michael Pizzi. “There’s nothing wrong with that. That is a very racist comment.”
According to the suit, Chief Morales’ remarks marked the start of a 290-day period of persecution.
When Francois was on leave, Morales reportedly assigned her an impossible task: to organize an honor guard detail for Veterans Day at City Hall in less than 24 hours.
But while she delivered exemplary results, she later learned through a subordinate’s text that the “Chief wasn’t happy.”
Shortly after, her honor guard duties were reassigned.
The lawsuit goes on to describe multiple instances of rumors, public humiliation, and baseless evaluation, including two controversial “90-day performance improvement plans.”
“After she objected to the racist comments, they placed her under the supervision of a Major who had been accused by the civilian investigative panel of using the ‘N’ word,” Pizzi said. “Then they humiliated her publicly.”
Amid the turmoil, Francois shared that some colleagues recognized the injustice. Assistant Chief Thomas Carroll allegedly acknowledged Chief Morales’ vendetta against her, reportedly telling her, “Wes, we know what this is about. Let’s just make this go away. You know he is not going to stop.”
But even with this acknowledgment, the harassment persisted, culminating in Francois’ demotion to lieutenant at the end of 2022. Her appeals to Miami City Manager Art Noriega in January 2023 reportedly went unanswered.
Francois is now demanding at least $1 million in damages and a jury trial, accusing the city of fostering a hostile work environment and violating anti-discrimination laws.
Francois hopes her lawsuit will bring accountability and expose systemic issues within the department.
“It’s not just about my hair. This is about the systematic belittling of black women in positions of power,” Francois says in her lawsuit.
“Chief Morales was relentless on how my look was not acceptable. Chief Morales’ actions were aimed at undermining the identities of black women, reinforcing a narrative of superiority that positioned them as lesser individuals.”
CBS News Miami reports that the police department has not yet addressed the allegations. However, the city’s legal department released a statement saying,
“Ms. Lewis’ complaint is merely an attempt to obtain payment from the city for a position she no longer holds. The city looks forward to challenging her false allegations in court.”
