The Relentless Fight of Anthony Holmes Against Workplace Discrimination
- Jackie Rae
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
The fight against racism and discrimination is a never-ending battle. For Anthony Holmes, that fight has evolved beyond a personal grievance — it has become a broader call for accountability and systemic change.
Holmes began challenging workplace discrimination in the City of Long Beach’s refuse department in 2021. From filing formal complaints that went unanswered to speaking out at City Council meetings, Holmes has consistently raised concerns about Black workers being passed over for promotions, silenced when voicing grievances, or pushed out of the department altogether.
Although city officials maintain that an outside investigation cleared the department of any wrongdoing, Holmes and his supporters argue the inquiry was incomplete and dismissive. He refuses to accept the findings of that investigation quietly.
Holmes has retained Long Beach employment attorney Christian Petronelli with Petronelli Law Group PC, a firm that is well-versed in local discrimination cases.In 2021, the Petronelli Law Group took on Caprice McDonald as a client. At the time, McDonald was a special projects manager with the city’s Civil Service Department who alleged that then-Civil Service Director Kandice Taylor-Sherwood criticized the way Black people talk and told her she “should focus on being more ‘white’” if she wanted a promotion. With Petronelli’s advocacy, the City of Long Beach agreed to pay $701,000 to settle the case.
McDonald’s case underscores what Holmes and his supporters argue is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of discriminatory practices within Long Beach — a pattern they say continues to leave Black employees vulnerable.
While Petronelli validated Holmes’ concerns by filing a lawsuit, the four-year legal fight has taken a steep emotional and mental toll.“I have my days. Depressed. Anxiety. Sometimes I wake up and want to crash out, but I think about my son and my daughter,” Holmes said.
He said some of the emotional weight has lifted since Petronelli took his case. “He doesn’t work for the city,” Holmes said. “He’s not going to throw you under the bus. They can’t pay him off. He’s strong, and he’s fighting for the people. All people.”
Petronelli views the recent treatment of Holmes as retaliatory and common. “Most of the cases I have, almost all of them have some sort of a retaliation element,” he said. “The law is, they’re not supposed to retaliate. They are prohibited from retaliating. But we have laws for a reason. It’s because the law recognizes that if left to their own devices, employers will retaliate.”
“Being fired is the clearest form of retaliation, but it is rarely that obvious,” Petronelli added. “When it comes in smaller microaggressions, then it happens over a longer period of time.”
Holmes has turned to social media to share his experience, including posting a “Letter of Reprimand” he received in July after skipping a Public Works Appreciation Breakfast.
Although Holmes said the breakfast had never been mandatory, the letter claims he was verbally advised the day before that “attendance can be required at the supervisor’s discretion.” It also states he was “advised the sign-in sheet would be at the event location” on the day of the breakfast.
Instead, Holmes kept to his regular work schedule, as he had many times before. He posted a video of the reprimand, stating aloud that he was recording the conversation. The supervisor acknowledged that statement without objection. Two weeks later, Holmes was written up again — this time for “unauthorized recording in the workplace.”
The city does not have a publicly available policy explicitly prohibiting employees from recording supervisors. As a public employer in California, however, it is bound by state law, which requires all parties to consent before a confidential conversation can be legally recorded.
Holmes’ outspoken nature might make any attorney anxious. Still, Petronelli applauds his client for using his voice to push for change.
“The fact that he is continuing to do it, even though he feels like he already has a target put on him, he already had some retaliation occur — going down there and continuing to stand up, I think, is important,” Petronelli said.
Despite Holmes’ persistence, a resolution to his discrimination case may still be two years away due to a backlog in the Los Angeles County court. In the meantime, he said he will continue raising his voice to fight against systemic discrimination in the city.
“I’m Black in America,” he said. “I’ve seen this too many times. Black folks come down [to City Council], make noise, and then just disappear. I’m not going nowhere.”
Holmes is now spearheading the Long Beach Against Anti-Blackness Coalition and advocating for the Anthony Holmes Act, which seeks political change to protect Black workers across multiple industries throughout the country.