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BENNINGTON â Two former town residents filed a complaint Wednesday with the Vermont Human Rights Commission against the Bennington Select Board, saying town officials publicized private information about them in retaliation for their filing complaints of racially-motivated policing against the Bennington Police Department.
The boardâs action was âillegalâ and reflected systemic racial discrimination in Bennington, said Jay Diaz, senior staff attorney at American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont. The organization is representing complainants Joel Fowler, who is Black, and his girlfriend, Cassandra Keating.
âThis case is not a one-off,â Diaz said during a virtual press briefing on Wednesday morning. âIt is representative of what happens in Bennington â the systemic nature of discrimination in Bennington and also the systemic nature of discrimination throughout Vermont.â