Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

County worker’s racial slur didn’t infer he was a “lover”

“I have that vibe that I…empathize or have an affinity towards, um, black folks.”

Tyler Fowler, an appraiser for the County Assessor's Office who is African-American, says her supervisor Mark Sitzer made racially disparaging remarks on numerous occasions and county administrators failed to address it. She is suing Sitzer and the County of San Diego for racial discrimination.

According to the August 15 complaint filed in state court, discord between Fowler and Sitzer began in late 2016 after Fowler informed Sitzer that his department was not meeting certain deadlines. Fowler says Sitzer's anger over the comments surfaced in an April 20, 2017, altercation.

On that day Fowler was speaking to a coworker when Sitzer approached Fowler from behind. He touched her hair and stated that it felt just like "petting his dog."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Less than three weeks later, Sitzer again approached Fowler and patted her on the head. Referring to another employee's looks, also an African-American female, Sitzer then told Fowler that he was a "nigger lover."

Disturbed and upset, Fowler left the office. She went home and typed up a letter to an employee from the human resources department, detailing the interaction.

"...The situation being what it is, [Sitzer's] actions of late and now, his words seem to be escalating so that I don't feel comfortable coming to work and being allowed to do my job without having to consider what I will have to endure or put up with from him next," Fowler wrote. "I'm concerned about what other liberties he might feel it's ok to take with me. I never thought things would've gone this far. It's at the point where I can no longer excuse his behavior as harmless and ignorant, especially when he calls me a nigger to my face."

Upon learning of the potential complaint, Sitzer left a voice mail for Fowler. In the voice mail he admitted to saying the racial slur and that he was sorry. He said that he had an "affinity for black folk" and he did not mean anything by it.

The county placed Sitzer on leave while it investigated the issue. He, however, was allowed to return to work and eventually to the same office that he occupied. After refusing to leave her office and frustrated by the county's inaction, Fowler filed a complaint with the Fair Employment and Housing Department on August 9, 2017. The complaint was then followed with a lawsuit.

Fowler's attorney, Dan Gilleon, says the county should have acted by immediately terminating Sitzer. Instead, says Gilleon, it points to ratification of racism by the county.

"The County of San Diego has ratified the most obvious form of racism — the use of the ’n word’ by a high level chief to a black subordinate — by not terminating him," says Gilleon. "This would not happen at SDG&E, Qualcomm, Walmart. There, the person would be fired immediately. It seems only government entities— emboldened by the lack of leadership in this country — that are allowing this kind of overt racism, destroying the fabric of this country one racist act at a time."

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Haunted Trail of Balboa Park, ZZ Top, Gem Diego Show

Events October 31-November 2, 2024

Tyler Fowler, an appraiser for the County Assessor's Office who is African-American, says her supervisor Mark Sitzer made racially disparaging remarks on numerous occasions and county administrators failed to address it. She is suing Sitzer and the County of San Diego for racial discrimination.

According to the August 15 complaint filed in state court, discord between Fowler and Sitzer began in late 2016 after Fowler informed Sitzer that his department was not meeting certain deadlines. Fowler says Sitzer's anger over the comments surfaced in an April 20, 2017, altercation.

On that day Fowler was speaking to a coworker when Sitzer approached Fowler from behind. He touched her hair and stated that it felt just like "petting his dog."

Sponsored
Sponsored

Less than three weeks later, Sitzer again approached Fowler and patted her on the head. Referring to another employee's looks, also an African-American female, Sitzer then told Fowler that he was a "nigger lover."

Disturbed and upset, Fowler left the office. She went home and typed up a letter to an employee from the human resources department, detailing the interaction.

"...The situation being what it is, [Sitzer's] actions of late and now, his words seem to be escalating so that I don't feel comfortable coming to work and being allowed to do my job without having to consider what I will have to endure or put up with from him next," Fowler wrote. "I'm concerned about what other liberties he might feel it's ok to take with me. I never thought things would've gone this far. It's at the point where I can no longer excuse his behavior as harmless and ignorant, especially when he calls me a nigger to my face."

Upon learning of the potential complaint, Sitzer left a voice mail for Fowler. In the voice mail he admitted to saying the racial slur and that he was sorry. He said that he had an "affinity for black folk" and he did not mean anything by it.

The county placed Sitzer on leave while it investigated the issue. He, however, was allowed to return to work and eventually to the same office that he occupied. After refusing to leave her office and frustrated by the county's inaction, Fowler filed a complaint with the Fair Employment and Housing Department on August 9, 2017. The complaint was then followed with a lawsuit.

Fowler's attorney, Dan Gilleon, says the county should have acted by immediately terminating Sitzer. Instead, says Gilleon, it points to ratification of racism by the county.

"The County of San Diego has ratified the most obvious form of racism — the use of the ’n word’ by a high level chief to a black subordinate — by not terminating him," says Gilleon. "This would not happen at SDG&E, Qualcomm, Walmart. There, the person would be fired immediately. It seems only government entities— emboldened by the lack of leadership in this country — that are allowing this kind of overt racism, destroying the fabric of this country one racist act at a time."

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Three nights of Mission Bayfest bring bliss

“This is a top-notch production.”
Next Article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader