State senator sues city of Providence in federal court, alleging discrimination

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Democratic state senator is suing the City of Providence, alleging that city officials retaliated against her after she accused a superior of discriminatory promotion practices against a Hispanic worker.

Sen. Ana Quezada, D-Providence, is accusing the city, for whom she works as a housing inspector in the Department of Inspection and Standards, of suspending her for five days after she challenged the treatment of an electrical inspector in her capacity as a steward for Laborer’s Local 1033.

The suit, initially filed in state Superior Court, was transferred to federal court this week.

According to the lawsuit, Quezada, who was reelected this week without opposition, on June 8, 2017 spoke with Department Director Jeffrey Lykins about her concerns that the electrical inspector, Rodis Rodriguez, had not been promoted, despite Rodriguez’s “obvious qualifications.”

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20181108/state-senator-sues-city-of-providence-in-federal-court-alleging-discrimination