Black-led women’s running group sues Boston Marathon organizers and Newton police chief for alleged racial discrimination

A Black-led running group is suing the organizers of the Boston Marathon as well as the city of Newton, Massachusetts, and the Newton police chief over alleged racial discrimination that took place in a cheer zone at last year’s race.

A Black-led running group is suing the organizers of the Boston Marathon as well as the city of Newton, Massachusetts, and the Newton police chief over alleged racial discrimination that took place in a cheer zone at last year’s race. The lawsuit, filed Thursday by the all-women running group TrailblazHers, just days before the 2024 marathon, alleges the organizers, the city, and police violated the plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the law. On the day of last year’s race, Newton police “singled out spectators from TrailblazHers Run Co. (“TrailblazHers”) and other running crews that serve primarily people of color, racially profiling, targeting, and harassing them,” according to the complaint filed in a Massachusetts court. TrailblazHers had organized a specific “cheer zone” in Newton at Mile 21 and had invited other running groups led by people of color to join, says the complaint. Over a hundred spectators, “mostly people of color,” were gathered there. For the past four years, the group has gathered at Mile 21, the complaint states, and the marker is significant for the plaintiffs: “It stands as a key place where runners of color are acknowledged and celebrated,” helping create a “powerful and affirming experience for runners of color.” The lawsuit details specific acts of alleged discrimination, claiming while White spectators were allowed to interact with and celebrate runners, non-White spectators at Mile 21 were harassed by police and told to stay back. The lawsuit includes photos that appear to show the “human barricade” created by police officers and their bikes.