New Jersey Police Officer Sues Township for Alleged Hair Discrimination Violating CROWN Act

Officer Chian Weekes-Rivera alleges she was disciplined for wearing Bantu knots, a traditional African hairstyle, in violation of New Jersey's CROWN Act, which protects against hair discrimination; her sergeants were also disciplined for refusing to order her to change her hairstyle.

• Officer Chian Weekes-Rivera has filed a lawsuit against Maplewood Township, the police department, and Maplewood Police Captain Peter Kuenzel, alleging she was disciplined for wearing Bantu knots, a traditional African hairstyle, to work.
• Weekes-Rivera's sergeants were also disciplined for refusing to order her to change her hairstyle, which she claims is a violation of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) and the CROWN Act.
• The CROWN Act, signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy in 2019, prohibits discrimination based on 'traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles.'
• Weekes-Rivera was featured in a 2021 township video celebrating the diversity of its police officers, but received a complaint about her hairstyle shortly after.
• This is not the first lawsuit Weekes-Rivera has filed against the township; she also sued over a vaccine mandate last year, claiming a religious exemption, and won.

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