European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Blac Kubi agent fighting racist abuse by White colleagues by Philip Shenon new York times n this one Point the government s investigators Are already agreed Donald Rochon an Fri agent was a victim of often brutal racial harassment by his White colleagues. In separate investigations the Justice department and the equal employment Opportunity commission have found that Rochon was shunned and humiliated by agents in the Fri s Omaha office in 1983 and 1384 because he is Black. Law enforcement officials say Rochon s ordeal is one of the most troubling examples of institutional racism in the recent history of the Bureau which is responsible for enforcement of Federal civil rights Laws among others. In one incident Rochon returned to his desk to find that a family photograph had been destroyed when someone taped a picture of an ape s head Over his son s face. His former supervisor told investigators that the pranks wore  the Justice department is now conducting a criminal investigation into allegations that White agents in the Bureau s office in Chicago where Rochon was transferred in 1984, made repeated death threats to Rochon and his family. According to Couil papers filed by Rochon the Fri has determined that one of its Chicago agents apparently As a threat forged Rochon s signature and handwriting on forms for two insurance policies in 1985, one Lor death and dismemberment coverage the other Lor burial costs. I could t believe this was happening said Rochon shaking his head As he recalled the Well documented three year Campaign of harassment by fellow agents. It was like i was in a time machine and someone had turned the clock Back from the 1980s to the 1950s." Rochon. 37, now serves in the Fri s Philadelphia office. The Fri s new director William s. Sessions has characterized Rochon s complaints As extremely  racial discrimination has absolutely no place in the Fri and will not be tolerated he stated. Rochon who is now suing the Bureau and the Justice department is not the Only Fri agent who has taken concerns about racial discrimination to court. In Elpaso one of the Bureau s highest ranking hispanic agents filed suit last year alleging that he and other hispanic agents were routinely denied promotions. About 9 percent of the Bureau s 9,500 agents Are Black or hispanic. Their presence is not reflected in the Bureau s top management of the Fri s 59 Field offices across the country Only one in Philadelphia is led by a Black. None is led by a hispanic agent. Rochon says he has experienced no overt racism in the Philadelphia office. In an interview in the office of his lawyer David Kairys Rochon would seem to be just what the Foi wants in its agents he is intelligent Well spoken and polite. After a career As an investigator in the terrorism division of the los Angeles police department Rochon was hired Page 14 the stars and stripes target practice at the Fri i National Academy in on Case of racial Hara tement within the Bureau. By the Fri in 1981 he took a pay Cut of nearly $7.000 a year but Lon Rod to be part of the Fri. Even today Rochon still Hopes to make his career at the Fri so Long As the Bureau makes a sincere Effort to curb racism. Alter training at the Fri Academy in Virginia Rochon was transferred in january 1983 to Omaha where he said the racial taunts began from Day  in a report last August on Rochon s treatment in Omaha the Justice department found that he had been subjected to racially obnoxious pranks and blatant racial  a 66-Page report by the equal employment Opportunity commission described a series of incidents in Omaha in which Rochon was harassed because of his race including these a photograph of the bruised face of a Black Man was placed in his mail Slot. A doll of a scuba diver with its face hands and eel blackened with a marking pen was left in a Container of water on Rochon s desk. He was taking diving lessons at the time. O a picture of two scuba divers emerging from 9 garbage dump was posted on an office bulletin Board Rochon s photograph was pasted Over the face of one. The message Don t come was scrawled across invitations to office parties. Rochon said the most disturbing incident occurred one afternoon in 1983, when he returned to the office and found that someone had defaced the photograph of his son and his daughter. Rochon said that mocking his family violated an unwritten Rule in Law enforcement explaining. You Don mess with a Man s family no matter How much you hate the Man. And someone broke that  _. He said he believed the harassment persisted Beau he refused to Back Down i refused to be intimidated i thought about  he said. But i could t run away. What the Fri looks for in an agent is someone who is Strong and Brave. Unfortunately for the racists i used those same attributes against  according to the equal employment Opportunity commission s report the former special agent in Chargo of the Omaha office Herbert a Hawkins jr., said he considered the pranks to be healthy and a sign of Esprit de  he was aware of Rochon s complain is about racial harassment but took no formal action the report said. Hawkins who now oversees the Fri s Phoenix office and other agents involved in the Rochon Case refused i be interviewed for this article citing continuing litigation. The commission s report identified one agent in the Omaha office Thomas Dillon As Rochon s greatest single  in an interview with the commission Dillon said he thought the office pranks directed at Rochon were funny " he explained the significance of the incidents involving scuba diving by telling investigators that the reason Blacks can t swim As Wel As Whites is because their Bone density a  the commission and the Justice department both sunday