Fighting back tears, La-Kebbia “Kiki” Wilson told a jury her reaction when she learned a supervisor with the city of Fresno allegedly called her a “n–.”

“I was so f— mad for all this s— I went through with the city,” Wilson, who is Black, said on the stand.

Wilson and Charles Smith are suing the city of Fresno for racial discrimination, harassment and intimidation. The federal lawsuit entered its fourth day on Friday in Judge Kirk E. Sherriff’s downtown Fresno courtroom.

Smith, who is white, worked under Howard Lacy. Earlier in the trial, Smith testified that Lacy described Wilson to him as a “lazy piece of s—“ and and an “entitled n—.”

Lacy, during his testimony on Wednesday, denied making such comments. A third-party investigation into the matter ordered by the city was inconclusive.

Learning She Was Called the ‘N-word’

After Smith quit for what he called retaliation, he told Wilson what Lacy said about her.

Wilson worked for the city’s code enforcement department. She long suspected several slights in her career were racially motivated. Hearing what Lacy allegedly said out of her presence confirmed it for her.

Wilson said she felt humiliated several times.

During testimony, Wilson listed several slights. After returning from a three-year layoff for economic reasons in 2016, she was assigned an inferior truck, an inferior tool bag, and was reprimanded for improperly parking at City Hall.

Wilson also described having to fight the city for a promotion. She went to the Civil Service Board to prove she met qualifications.

“I couldn’t make any mistakes. I couldn’t do anything wrong. Policies applied to me differently,” Wilson testified.

Several times during her testimony, Wilson talked about the burden she faced as a Black woman working for the city. She would always be noticed and stood out, she said.

“I don’t want anyone who looks like me to go through this,” Wilson said.

How Wilson Reacted

When she learned what Lacy allegedly said about her on the afternoon of July 11, 2018, Wilson testified she was overwhelmed with emotion. She called it an “out of body experience.”

While being consoled by a co-worker, Wilson said, “They are all f— liars. All of them.”

The city reprimanded her for the outburst, Wilson testified, for conduct unbecoming of an employee. She did not recall an employee disciplined for profanity before. During her testimony, Wilson clung to her belief that almost everyone at the city lied about her.

Later that day, Wilson said she spoke with Jennifer Clark, head of the planning department, which oversaw code enforcement at the time. She said Clark had a look of shock.

After Wilson filed her complaint over Lacy’s alleged slur, she was placed on paid leave for what she was told was for the integrity of the third-party investigation. However, she was told she could be called back to return to work within an hour.

”I felt like I was on house arrest,” Wilson testified.

She told the court she experienced sleeping problems and intimacy issues with her husband. It put a strain on her marriage.

After 11 months off, Wilson returned to work in July 2019. Lacy was at work as well. They literally bumped into each other, according to Wilson’s testimony. She informed supervisors.

After she returned, she received a poor work evaluation for 2018, much worse than a 2017 evaluation. She also learned that Lacy made a complaint about her. Wilson said that she was never notified.

She said that made her sick to her stomach, literally. She felt like a scapegoat.

”As a Black person, it says f— you, n—,” Wilson said on the stand.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Kevin Schwin closed, asking Wilson if she forgives the city.

“As a child of God and a Christian woman, yes. As a human of flesh, never,” Wilson said.

Negative Meetings with Superiors

During cross examination from Mandy Jeffcoach representing the city, she asked about meetings Wilson had with members of the City Attorney’s Office, which now is in charge of code  enforcement. Wilson was accused of using profane language and finger pointing during testy meetings.

That eventually led to a three-day suspension. Wilson challenged the decision to the city Civil Service Board, which made the unusual move of recommending her termination. The board found that Wilson “engaged in abusive and aggressive conduct” and was “discourteous and unprofessional.”

Wilson challenged the ruling in state court. The court agreed with the facts in the case, but ruled the board overstepped its authority. The discipline was reduced to 30 days.

She returned to work in February 2022 after the appeals and pandemic-related time off. She was eventually terminated in June 2022. The reason for the termination was not brought up during testimony.

The case resumes Tuesday. Jeffcoach’s cross examination of Wilson will continue. Dallas Selling, an attorney who investigated the slur, is also scheduled to testify.