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Community groups urge Fresno council not to appeal $15.4M racial-discrimination verdict
Summary
After a federal jury awarded $15.4 million to former city employee LaKibia 'Kiki' Wilson, multiple community leaders and residents urged the council to respect the verdict, compensate Wilson and hold city officials accountable.
Several community leaders and residents used the March 26 public-comment period to call on the Fresno City Council to accept and act on a federal jury’s $15.4 million verdict in favor of former city employee LaKibia 'Kiki' Wilson, saying the award reflects longstanding workplace discrimination.
Cynthia Sterling, president of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWAPA), read a formal statement congratulating Wilson and urged the city to "respect the federal jury's decision and refrain from pursuing an appeal." BWAPA’s statement described testimony of racial slurs and sustained mistreatment that jurors found credible.
"By standing up and speaking her truth, Miss Wilson engaged in good trouble," Sterling said, quoting the late Congressman John Lewis and urging immediate compensation in line with the jury award.
Other speakers recounted personal experiences. Sonia Davis said she had personally witnessed mistreatment of Wilson while Wilson was pregnant, describing "a toxic, racial hostile work environment" and said depositions and trial statements confirmed a pattern of mistreatment. Public commenter Matthew Gillian and others called for the council to avoid spending additional time and funds appealing the verdict and instead pursue accountability and reparative measures.
Multiple speakers connected the Wilson verdict to broader concerns about racist treatment in city departments, including code‑enforcement interactions with residents. "The pattern of racist behavior did not end with Larry Rder," Sonia Davis said, naming former and current supervisors referenced at trial. Several callers asked the council to remove employees implicated in misconduct and to adopt more trauma-informed policies.
The council has listed the Wilson matter as an existing‑litigation closed-session item (5C) on the meeting agenda. The transcript records substantial public demand that the city not appeal the jury award and that officials prioritize compensation and corrective action; the council did not announce a public vote during the meeting on whether to appeal.
Next steps: the Wilson case remains an existing litigation item on the council’s closed-session calendar. Community groups have asked for an immediate, public statement from the city indicating whether it will appeal and for a timetable to resolve payment and internal accountability steps.
