Florida Librarian Settles Suit
Involving White-Rights Group
A former Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library branch head has reached a settlement with the city after being demoted for protesting an apology her superiors had made to the National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP) for her behavior toward them.
Patricia Doyle, who is white, had claimed that she attended the group’s February 1997 gathering in the Highlands library meeting room because African-American staffers felt threatened by racist remarks directed at them by NAAWP members. The group later complained to library officials that Doyle disrupted the meeting with actions such as turning off the lights when a participant wouldn’t stop videotaping her.
The city, in turn, characterized her demotion as a consequence for acting against the library’s policy of allowing all groups to use the public meeting rooms.
Doyle will receive $8,000 in cash, her previous salary, and restoration to the job title “library supervisor” in return for dropping her lawsuit, according to the October 13 Jacksonville Times-Union. She is enjoined from applying for a promotion for five years.
Posted October 23, 2000.
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