Devout Rastafarian sues Georgia police force claiming he was forced to cut dreadlocks he’d been growing for 20 YEARS to as part of terms of work

A former Georgia police officer is suing the department for discrimination, claiming he was forced to cut off the dreadlocks he grew because of his religion, despite the CROWN Act in place.

Milton Myrie, 36, filed a lawsuit Sunday for an undisclosed amount of damages against the South Fulton Police Department, claiming they forced him to cut his dreadlocks or he wouldn’t be able to become a police officer.

Myrie moved his family from New York to Georgia in January 2021 to work for the police department when he said he was given an ultimatum.

When he was just minutes away from signing a contract and attending the police academy, Myrie said former Deputy Police Chief Connie Rogers told him he had to cut off his locks to join the department.

Miri claimed that he asked several times for religious shelter, but was told that there was none.

Milton Myrie, 36, said the South Fulton Police Department forced him to cut off his dreadlocks, which he had been growing for 20 years.

According to the lawsuit, Miri is a member of the Rastafarian faith and wore a long, natural hairstyle that symbolized his connection to biblical wisdom and served as a conduit for his spiritual energy.

“He had been growing his locks of hair for 20 years in accordance with his Rastafarian religion, and one day he was asked to turn his back on everything he believed in,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleged that the police department had a double standard based on gender because Myrie witnessed female police officers being allowed to wear dreadlocks.

In February 2023, Myrie said he was finally able to talk to someone in human resources and was informed about the religious shelter.

After learning that his superiors had not informed him of this policy, Miri left the department.

The lawsuit alleges that to comply with what he believed to be a hair policy, Myrie repeatedly shaved his head so that his hair was below two inches, resulting in a chronic skin condition that prevented him from growing his locks of hair.

“He had a deep and personal spiritual connection to his locks of hair and would not have cut them if he knew he could have kept them in accordance with federal law and the city’s CROWN Act,” the lawsuit states.

Prior to Miri’s employment in South Fulton, the city passed the CROWN Act in November 2020.

The law prohibits workplace discrimination against a person based on their hairstyle, including protective and cultural hair textures and styles.

Myrie’s lawsuit alleged that the police department violated his civil rights and the city’s CROWN law.

Myrie’s lawsuit alleged that the police department and city violated his civil rights by failing to accommodate his religious hairstyle, gender discrimination and violating the city’s CROWN law.

A spokesman for the city of South Fulton said. Fox 5: “Please be assured that we take all allegations seriously and are committed to providing a fair and just working environment for all employees.”

“It is important to note that our city is committed to upholding the principles set forth in the CROWN Act and we are committed to creating an inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for all employees.”