ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts is at the center of a new lawsuit alleging he discriminated against a deputy for failing to support his 2020 campaign.
In November 2020, Sheriff Betts demoted a Dep. Steve Chalmers from the Civil Processors Unit to the Security Unit after seven years as a deputy.
While job changes are common in law enforcement, Christmas said Sheriff Betts' reaction to those who reached out in support of Chalmers shouldn't be.
“I cringe,” said Jerryl Christmas.
That was attorney Jerryl Christmas' reaction to hearing the audio of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts discussing Dep. Steve Chalmers.
“Whether you love me or not you don’t mess with me,” said Sheriff Betts in an audio recording released to KSDK. “That’s what he did.”
Christmas is representing Chalmers in a discrimination suit in which he alleges he was demoted for not supporting Bett’s campaign for Sheriff.
“That negro didn’t help me,” Betts can be heard saying in the recording.
“He’s an employee,” said Christmas. “He’s only required to do his job. He’s not required to campaign for you. He has the freedom to work on, in his own time, any campaign he wants to work on.”
“He better go somewhere and sit his black a** down and be glad he’s got a job,” said Betts in the recording.
According to Christmas, verbal assaults like this became common for Chalmers.
“As a black man, to hear that kind of language being used about another black man, it embarrassed me tremendously,” said Christmas. “It made me mad. I’ve cringed every time I’ve had to listen to that.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” said Alderwoman Cara Spencer. “I didn’t get to hear all of it, but what I did hear is reprehensible.”
This isn’t the first time Sheriff Betts has faced claims of racial discrimination.
“Hiring people for political gain, or political purpose, has no place in government whatsoever,” said Spencer. “Whether or not as Vervis Jones pointed out it’s legal, it has no place, and it’s holding our city and our region back from basic functionality.”
That’s why 20th Ward Alderwoman Cara Spencer said she will be looking into local legislation banning the practice in the city of St. Louis.
“We need to nip it in the bud immediately,” said Christmas. “We can’t allow this to happen, and we especially can’t allow it to happen from our leadership.”
A spokesman for the St. Louis City Sheriff's Office declined to comment on this story since there is litigation pending.