Rastafarian Man Claims Firing by Gary Police Due to Hairstyle, Despite Being Sworn In

GARY, Ind. (WLS) — A man says he was fired last month from the Gary Police Department because of his hair.

He practices the Rastafari faith, and says cutting his hair goes against his religion.

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In an exclusive report, Chance Johnson revealed to ABC7 Chicago I-Team reporter Samantha Chatman that just days after his swearing-in, Gary’s police chief issued him an ultimatum: cut his braids within 24 hours or face termination.

He says he thought the department would allow him to keep his hair because of his religion, but he was fired the next day.

Now, he’s calling for change and his job back.

Johnson has been cultivating his cornrow braids for over four years, and he considers the demand an unfair action by the Gary Police Department.

“They symbolize strength and allow me to express both my faith and identity,” Johnson explained. “When Black people were enslaved and brought to America, one of the first things done was the cutting of their hair to strip away their identity.”

Johnson, his wife and four kids moved from Dallas to Gary for the officer position.

He says he passed every test and was offered the job.

“I wanted to be that officer that if I’m seeing something wrong going on, I can step in and do the right thing,” Johnson said.

A Gary City Council member posted a photo on Facebook, showing Johnson and the new recruits during their swearing-in ceremony in July.

That day, Johnson says the commander told him the chief had a problem with his hair.

“I responded, ‘Understood, sir. I wasn’t aware this could pose an issue, but I do have a religious accommodation form.’ He simply replied, ‘I’ll discuss it with you after the ceremony,'” Johnson recounted.

Johnson says he contacted human resources right away to seek a religious accommodation to keep his hair.

Roughly a week later, Johnson claims the police chief called a meeting with him, insisting he had 24 hours to cut his braids or face termination, citing safety concerns.

“I asked, ‘If this is about safety, why are the female officers allowed to keep their hair?’ He replied that he wasn’t obligated to answer my questions, and as the discussion escalated into an argument, he refused to continue,” Johnson recounted.

Johnson says he was fired the next day.

He believes his civil rights were violated, citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Title VII prohibits private, state and local government employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, sex national origin and religion.

“He said that in the state of Indiana, they don’t have to accommodate religious requests. I never heard of anything like that,” Johnson said.

A spokesperson for the city of Gary said, “the city of Gary can confirm this is a personnel matter that we are reviewing. We are committed to fair treatment of all employees and compliance with applicable employment laws.”

Johnson says he wants Gary PD to be held accountable, and he also wants his job back, but not if it means cutting his hair.

“It’s nice, neat and professional-looking,” he said. “I don’t think anybody should be terminated for their religious beliefs, especially when it’s not doing harm to anybody around them.”

Johnson says he hasn’t heard from the Gary Police Department since he was fired last month, but is still hopeful for a resolution.

As for where things stand, the city of Gary said it cannot provide additional details about individual personnel matters at this time.