Family of Teen Ordered to Back of Bus in Wisconsin Files Lawsuit
The family of a Black teenager who was ordered to the back of a bus in Janesville, Wisconsin, in November 2013 filed a lawsuit against the driver whose actions they are calling racist, according to GazetteXtra.com.
The suit states the boy's 14th Amendment rights were violated on "the basis of race or sex or race plus sex." Mary Lesko, the driver, no longer works for the city.
In a video capturing the incident, Lesko first tells a woman passenger seated in the front to move for a disabled woman. She orders the Black teen to move as well. He points to the empty seat across from him but she repeats her order. "I know. But you can move to the back too, because you don't belong down here," Lesko said.
The teen, identified as D.T., stands up and curses, according to the driver. He is then ordered to get off the bus. After he exits, Lesko complains that "kids these days have no respect."
In December, the family of D.T. asked Janesville for $500,000 in the incident. The city has denied allegations of racism.
Is this a modern-day Rosa Parks incident or was the bus driver right in her orders?
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(Photo: The Janesville Gazette via Youtube)