Try to follow this. The city of Youngstown, Ohio, hires police officers and firefighters from two separate lists: one for white men and one for minorities and women. Taxpayers are funding their government’s discriminatory practices that apply different standards to groups based on race and sex. (Source)
How do I know the standards are different, therefore, discriminatory? Let’s use common sense. If “all are qualified,” why would the city need to hire one minority or woman from the list for every two white men hired from the list? Are minorities and women seeking jobs as police officers and firefighters less qualified than the white men? If not, why does the city have two separate lists of people, distinguished by race and sex?
It’s called inferring. The numbers usually confirm the inference.
The practice is coming to an end, however. A federal court ruled that such lists used in Shreveport, Louisiana, to hire employees were unconstitutional. According to the article, Youngstown will cease and desist. (See Dean v. City of Shreveport)
Youngstown’s mayor Jay Williams is hoping to hire more firefighters from both lists one more time. “All are qualified,” he said, “and we’ll do this in a constitutional method. We want to maintain our high standard of employees and give consideration to all applicants.”
Mayor Williams may want to glance at Dean v. City of Shreveport before proceeding. Among other things, the court agreed with the plaintiff’s claim that using different cutoff scores for hiring based on race and sex violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. “One more time” may be one time too many.
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