City Did Not Defame Roanoke Police Officer In Describing 'End Racism Now' Mural, Judge Rules

Sgt. Jason Hicks alleged the city's description of a mural implied he was fueled by racism when he fatally shot a Black man in 2009.

Local artists painted the “End Racism Now” mural on Campbell Avenue in the wake of nationwide protests over the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS TRIBBLE / SNAPKRAKLEPOP PHOTOGRAPHY

Roanoke City staff did not defame a police officer when publishing Facebook posts in 2020 about a street mural focused on racism and police brutality, a judge has ruled.

Roanoke police Sgt. Jason Hicks had sued the city, saying that a city employee’s description of the “End Racism Now” mural on Campbell Avenue implied he was fueled by racism when he fatally shot a Black man in 2009.