Latosha Clemons has filed a $100,000 lawsuit against the city of Boynton for what she termed as defamation and negligence. This happened after the fire department depicted Clemons as a white woman in a mural that they had commissioned to honor her 25-year career with the institution.
Clemons claims the artwork was deliberately altered and the act caused her immense emotional pain. In 2019 Clemons had given a go ahead for the department to use a photograph of her and two other firefighters in creating a public art work. The department however altered the images of the two black people in the photo (Clemons and Glenn Joseph) and when the mural was unveiled in June 2020, it depicted them as whites.
In April this year Clemons filed a lawsuit alleging that the actions of the city department were done intentionally and knowingly to defame and injure her. City of Boynton public art manager, Debby Coles-Dobay who was fired soon after the incident confirmed that she was ‘pressured’ to make changes to the mural. Clemons, who has worked with the department for over 26years, is now seeking damages of more than $30,000 and a jury trial to decide the case.
