MCAO Diversity Committee Members Resign, Criticize Adel

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PHOENIX – The majority of County Attorney Allister Adel’s internal diversity committee resigned from their posts this week over how she responded to an alleged blackface scandal in the office.

ABC15 obtained emails explaining why four MCAO employees left the office’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee.

Internal messages indicated that Adel and her management team had blocked many of the committee’s efforts and rejected other plans to resolve the controversy surrounding Chief of Staff Candice Copple.

Copple, who is white, was accused of being blackface at a religious event several years ago – an allegation she denied.

“(Committee members) and I are deeply committed to improving fairness in the criminal justice system, but the office has hampered, delayed or postponed indefinitely too much of the DCI committee’s effort,” said Prosecutor Stephanie Low, which was vice-committee. -chair.

Low added: “I cannot continue to work on an initiative which, in my opinion, is not fully supported by the leadership of the office.”

Through a spokesperson, Adel issued a written statement to ABC15. She did not address the concerns of the resigning members, but Adel said she was disappointed they had stepped down and thanked them for their work.

[County Attorney Adel’s full statement is copied at the bottom of this report.]

Committee member John Byrd, a black MCAO detective, was more specific in his resignation note and criticized Adel specifically.

He wrote that the DCI committee first met with MCAO leaders about the photo on September 30 – the day after ABC15 and the Republic of Arizona reported on the matter.

“Vice President Byrd took the time to address the leadership team from an African American perspective and shared a personal / in-depth view of the historical trauma this incident has caused, including the” Many African Americans (and other minority groups under contract) put on ‘daily masks’ before they leave their respective homes, ”Byrd wrote in his email to senior staff.

After that September meeting, he said senior MCAO officials blocked a scheduled November 17 conversation between Copple and himself that would apparently be open to other staff.

He continued, “Based on the conversation and ‘lived experience’ shared at the September 30, 2021 meeting, how could the management team and / or the Adel County prosecutor deny employees the MCAO the opportunity to witness a “real conversation” designed to bring healing, understanding and closure to this issue.

Byrd wrote that the conversation had been “ignored and repudiated,” which was “poor” for committee members.

Before the photo scandal, the county attorney’s office was already in a major crisis over racism and prejudice.

MCAO prosecutors and Phoenix Police have colluded to falsely indict dozens of Black Lives Matter protesters. A months-long investigation into ABC15 revealed the agencies who invented a fake gang and then claimed the protesters were members of it.

Adel denied knowing about plans to indict the protesters as a gang.

Following two outside investigations into the bogus protest charges, one of which was paid for by the MCAO, the county prosecutor has consistently claimed not to be aware of the involvement of his senior staff.

In September, Copple issued the following written statement through a spokesperson about the photo.

In 2015, I participated in a re-enactment depicting a historic event in the lives of my ancestors, ”said Copple’s statement. “In the period of the 1830s we are depicting, crowds often put mud on their faces to hide their identity. Taken out of context, I can see how this image could be misinterpreted. While not intended as a blackface, I am sensitive to black American history and deeply sorry to anyone who may have found this photo offensive. I had no idea the photo was still on my personal Facebook page and it got deleted.

The full statement from County Attorney Allister Adel is below.

For the first time in the county attorney’s office, I created an employee committee to advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DCI) issues in the workplace. Diversity issues for any organization are complex. Equally complex are the views and priorities of employees related to these issues. It was important to me that the contribution and collaboration of the staff were the driving force behind this effort. In total, nearly 100 employees have expressed interest in working on DCI initiatives.

A founding employee committee of DCI was established in April this year and consisted of a president and three vice-presidents to lead these efforts. While I am disappointed that the Vice Presidents have recently made the decision to step down, I am grateful for their contributions.

The committee chair and I remain committed to creating a more diverse and equitable work environment, as well as partnering with this community on DCI issues. Going forward, this office is currently reviewing applications from a full-time, seasoned diversity professional to help lead these efforts. This person will be part of my management team and will be a trusted advisor.

Over the past eight months, DCI’s employee committee has championed several important initiatives. These include:

• Increase MCAO’s involvement in minority bars by funding employee contributions to these organizations.

• Devote funds to sponsoring community events that celebrate diversity, including the Arizona Black Bar Association’s annual Hayzel B. Daniels scholarship dinner on November 5th.

• Ensure that communications efforts on behalf of the office include the diverse communities and individuals we serve. Bilingual social media posts and celebrating DCI milestones are a priority for this office.

• Receive feedback from DCI’s employee committee to ensure more inclusive office and prosecution policies.

• Lead round tables to provide executive leadership with feedback on a variety of topics.

• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were created to foster inclusion and provide spaces for employees to feel valued, understood and share their valuable life experience with others. Examples include Jewish, Labor, Military, Grieving, Native, Disabled, Christian, and Hispanic employee resource groups.

Contact ABC15 investigator Dave Biscobing at [email protected].

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