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ACLU Files Charges Against Greensboro Police Department For Discrimination

The City of Greensboro Melvin Municipal Building. BETHANY CHAFIN/WFDD

The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing the City of Greensboro Police Department, among others, of discrimination. The charges focus on age and gender.

The Greensboro Police Department is one of 10 employers named in the complaint. The ACLU says they used Facebook ads targeted for men to share job opportunities. Federal, state and local civil rights laws make it illegal to discriminate based on sex in advertising, recruitment and hiring.

Included in the filing is an example of a Facebook ad from the City of Greensboro for jobs with the police department. It shows that the ad was specifically sent to reach “men ages 25 to 35.”

The ACLU includes Facebook in its complaint for “enabling, encouraging, and assisting” employers in unlawfully using sex and age as part of their ad strategy.

The City of Greensboro issued a statement Tuesday responding to the allegations, saying it's an equal opportunity employer and that it uses multiple techniques to recruit a diverse workforce.

Bethany joined the staff of WFDD in the fall of 2012. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University and focused on Anglo-Irish writing. Between undergraduate studies and graduate school, Bethany served as the intern to Talk of the Nation at NPR in D.C., participating in live NPR Election Night Coverage, Presidential debate broadcasts, regular Talk of the Nation shows, and helping to plan the inaugural broadcast of ‘Talk of the World.' She enjoys engaging with her interests in books, politics, and art in the interdisciplinary world of public radio. Before becoming Assistant News Director, Bethany was a reporter and Associate Producer for WFDD's Triad Arts and Triad Arts Weekend. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bethany enjoys calling the Piedmont home.

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