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BENNINGTON â The state Human Rights Commission has agreed to investigate accusations that the Bennington Select Board retaliated and racially discriminated against a biracial couple who complained about their treatment by Bennington police, the complainantsâ legal representatives said Monday.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the commission confirmed Friday that it is accepting a formal complaint filed Wednesday by Joel Fowler, a Black man, and his girlfriend, Cassandra Keating.
The former Bennington residents allege that town leaders publicized confidential information about them after they complained of racially-motivated policing by the local police department â board action that they described as retaliatory and illegal. The couple said this was also discriminatory because it discourages other Black people from reporting police misconduct.