DEA recruits cite 'monkey noises' among claims of racism

The recruits who originally accused Mortenson are still employed by the DEA and not permitted to speak publicly about the incidents.Former recruits who spoke to AP said racism permeated their time at the academy from their first day of basic training, alleging exceptions were routinely made for underperforming white trainees while Blacks were held to an appreciably higher standard.“They weren’t going to let me graduate and become an agent no matter what,” said Theo Brown, a Black recruit from Marietta, Georgia, who contends he was unfairly dismissed in early 2018. More recently, the DEA opened an internal investigation into claims brought by Saudhy Bliss, a Hispanic woman from Orlando, Florida, who says she was dismissed from the academy last year after being treated in a “hostile manner.” She alleges she was called a “f—-up” in front of her colleagues, “required to drag a 220-pound-plus male across a great distance” and even struck in the forehead by a simulation round that caused her to bleed profusely.DEA instructors said Bliss was dismissed for failing handgun qualifications and raid trainings.