In a shocking breach of professional conduct, a San Francisco District Attorney’s office employee was terminated after sending an egregiously inappropriate email to his boss. The incident, which has sent ripples through the legal community, involved Jovan Thomas, a victim advocate in the DA’s office, who responded to a calendar invite for a memorial event with a question about the color of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ underwear.
The email, which was intended as a joke to a fraternity brother, was mistakenly sent to Jenkins and the entire DA’s office. This blunder occurred on Friday, just before an event meant to honor Matthew Shepard, a gay college student brutally murdered in 1998. The insensitivity of the message, especially in light of the solemn occasion, has raised serious questions about the culture within the DA’s office.
It seems possible that Brooke Jenkins is having an affair with Victim's Advocate Jovan Taylor. Or he is sexually harassing… his boss? While people should be free to have the relationships they want, an affair with a subordinate is sexual harassment. We need an investigation.🧵 pic.twitter.com/xVFzZddbru
— Dimitry Yakoushkin (@decadimitry) January 26, 2024
Thomas’s termination comes amidst a series of controversies surrounding the DA’s office. Last year, DA Jenkins faced a lawsuit from former investigator Jack Friedman, who alleged that Jenkins had painted him as dishonest after dropping charges against a police officer involved in a fatal shooting. This case highlighted tensions within the office and the complex dynamics of police reform efforts.
Jenkins, who has been an advocate for police reform, took office and made the decision to drop the charges against Officer Christopher Samayoa, who had been charged with homicide for the 2017 shooting of Keita O’Neil. This marked the first time a San Francisco officer had been charged with an on-duty homicide. The dismissal of the charges was justified by Jenkins as being politically motivated, a claim that has been met with mixed reactions.
San Francisco DA victim advocate is fired for sending email to boss Brooke Jenkins asking 'what color are your panties?' in response to calendar invite for anti-discrimination meeting https://t.co/Rd0rXZrlvb pic.twitter.com/WKIdwYwwB2
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 29, 2024
The recent firing of Thomas is not the first time he has been embroiled in controversy. He had previously been sued for harassing one of the victims he was assigned to support.
Although the case against Thomas was dropped in 2021, the city of San Francisco argued that it was not responsible for his alleged behavior as it did not occur within the scope of his employment.
This latest scandal underscores the need for a thorough examination of the practices and culture within the San Francisco DA’s office. It raises concerns about the standards of professionalism expected of those who serve the public, particularly in roles that require sensitivity and respect for victims and their families.
As the office continues to navigate the fallout from this incident, it is clear that there is much work to be done to restore trust and ensure that such egregious misconduct does not occur again.
