COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A black Ohio lawmaker who says security at the Statehouse has inappropriately stopped her has filed a complaint with the state Civil Rights Commission.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Rep. Emilia Sykes, a 32-year-old Akron Democrat in her second term, says she filed the complaint this week after an unsatisfactory meeting with Public Safety Director John Born and other State Highway Patrol officials.
Sykes says despite assurances she shouldn’t have any problems, she and other black women have been singled out at security checkpoints the last two years while white legislators with proper badges pass through unquestioned.
She says that when she asked why her badge wasn’t recognized, she was told she looked too young to be a legislator.
A Highway Patrol spokeswoman said Sykes’ allegations are being investigated.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
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