Department of Justice drops investigation into Seattle's racial equity training

https://komonews.com/news/local/department-of-justice-drops-investigation-into-seattles-racial-equity-training

SEATTLE – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has dropped an investigation into Seattle’s racial equity training for city employees.

In August, U.S. Attorney General William Barr launched the investigation to determine if the city’s training violated the Civil Rights Act.

In a letter sent to Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes on Thursday, the justice department says it has “concluded its investigation and has decided to close the matter without further action.”

On Friday, Holmes called the investigation “politically motivated” and “without merit,” adding “City employees were not and are not excluded from participating in voluntary training sessions cause of their racial self-identification.”

In 2004, the Seattle Office for Civil Rights began conducting racial equity trainings for employees as part of the Race and Social Justice Initiative.