Photo: Moment RF
A driver ordered two Black men to sit in the back of a bus in Fargo, North Dakota and threatened to call the police if they didn't comply, according to a racial discrimination lawsuit per the Miami Herald.
The lawsuit, filed last week, stems from a July 13, 2023 incident where two Black men, who boarded a Jefferson Lines bus in Fargo, North Dakota, were instructed by the driver to sit in the back of the bus despite the company having a "first come, first serve" policy for seats.
According to the lawsuit, the two men argued with the bus driver over his directive, but he threatened to call the police if the passengers didn't comply.
The lawsuit, filed by one of the men, accuses Jefferson Lines and the unnamed bus driver of racial discrimination, reminiscent of the Jim Crow Era.
“Rosa Parks took a stand in 1955, refused to give up her seat, and we’re not going back, not now, not ever, not in 2023, not in 2025,” the plaintiff's attorney, Samuel Savage, said in a statement.
According to the lawsuit, the two men were the only Black passengers on the bus during the incident. Other passengers were allegedly allowed to choose their seats.
The plaintiff said he decided to comply with the bus driver's orders to sit in the back rather than continue to argue.
“I think in the moment, it was more of a ‘I just want to get to my destination and be about my business,’” Savage said.
Days after the bus ride, Jefferson Lines requested that the bus driver create an incident report. The driver said he had asked the two Black men to sit in the back because they smelled like marijuana, according to the lawsuit. A verbal warning was issued to the driver for “deviating from the policy," the lawsuit states.
In January, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights determined that there was probable cause that discrimination occurred during the 2023 bus ride.
The plaintiff is seeking $50,000 in damages.
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