Female Miami cop claims chief destroyed her career after she refused to ‘tone down’ her hairstyle

A decorated Miami police captain is suing the city for $1 million, alleging harassment, racial discrimination and retaliation that culminated in her demotion.

Weslyne Lewis Francois, 40, a Black woman who has served on the Miami Police Department for 18 years, accuses Police Chief Manuel Morales of orchestrating a “campaign of racist and discriminatory actions” aimed at undermining her career.

Francois claims the harassment began shortly after she was promoted to commanding officer in 2020 and revolved around her hairstyle, which Morales allegedly told her to “tone down.”

At the time, she was assigned to serve the affluent, white Coconut Grove community.

According to the complaint, Morales’ comments marked the beginning of a 290-day period of persecution.

‘It’s not just about my hair. This is about the systematic denigration of Black women in positions of power,” François said in her Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint.

“Chief Morales was ruthless about the fact that my appearance was not acceptable,” it said. “Chief Morales’ actions were aimed at undermining Black women’s identities, reinforcing a narrative of superiority that positioned them as lesser individuals.”

Francois served in the U.S. Army before dedicating himself to law enforcement for nearly twenty years, quickly rising through the ranks to become a commander.

Her leadership in Coconut Grove was praised by local organizations, including a glowing 2021 profile from the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, which described her as bringing a “nurturing touch” to her role in the community.

Despite this admission, Chief Morales is said to have disputed her appearance after seeing a photo of her on social media.

The lawsuit claims he used her hairstyle as a pretext to undermine her professionalism.

“He compared my haircut to another black female officer with a shorter cut, implying that I was less professional because of the way I wore my hair,” François claims.

Francois says she was pushed back, stating that her hairstyle was in accordance with department policy and did not impact her ability to lead.

However, Morales persisted, comparing her appearance to a colleague’s “sleek, straight cut” and suggesting her natural hairstyle was “too ethnic.”

“The clear implication of his comment was that her hairstyle was somehow too black,” Francois’ lawyer Michael Pizzi told the court. Miami Herald. “Unfortunately, that’s a very racist thing to say.”

What started as comments about her hairstyle then allegedly escalated into a series of retaliatory actions.

While Francois was on vacation, Morales reportedly gave her an impossible task: organizing a Veterans Day honor guard at City Hall, with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Despite successfully completing the challenge, she later learned via text message from a subordinate that the “boss wasn’t happy.”

Shortly afterwards, her honor guard duties were reassigned.

The complaint goes on to detail multiple instances of public humiliation, rumors and baseless evaluations, including two controversial “90-day performance improvement plans.”

On another occasion, Morales allegedly berated Francois in front of her colleagues at an awards ceremony, summoning her to his office with an emphatic, public demand.

During the meeting, Francois claims she was subjected to an hours-long tirade designed to undermine her credibility and professionalism.

One evaluation involved an unlicensed behavior analyst. Francois claims she was also reprimanded for failing to respond to an incident while injured, a standard she said was not applied to her male colleagues.

The harassment extended to her immediate supervisor, Major Um Set Ramos, who allegedly “shadowed her at events” and sought negative feedback on her performance.

In the lawsuit, Ramos had previously used the N-word to refer to a black car crash victim, further raising concerns about systemic racism within the department.

Amid the unrest, Francois said some colleagues recognized the injustice.

Assistant Chief Thomas Carroll allegedly acknowledged Morales’ vendetta against her and told her, “Wes, we know what this is about.” Let’s just make this go away. You know he won’t stop.’

Despite this recognition, the harassment continued, culminating in Francois’ demotion to lieutenant at the end of 2022.

Her call to Miami City Manager Art Noriega in January 2023 reportedly went unanswered.

Francois is now seeking at least $1 million in damages and a jury trial, accusing the city of failing to address the hostile work environment and violating anti-discrimination laws.

“Her persecution lasted 290 days, during which no other staff member of the opposite sex or race suffered similar treatment,” the lawsuit said.

Francois hopes her lawsuit will bring accountability and shed light on systemic issues within the department.

The city of Miami has denied the allegations and Chief Morales has not commented publicly.

A city spokesperson told the municipality Miami Herald that the claims are unfounded.

“The city looks forward to the day in court,” a spokesperson for the city of Miami said.