Boston police have scheduled a termination hearing for a police officer suspended for using a racial slur to describe black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.
The Boston Police Department announced a Jan. 6 hearing for Justin Barrett. The 36-year-old officer was placed on paid administrative leave in July after he was accused of writing an e-mail that called Gates a "banana-eating jungle monkey."
Barrett has filed a federal lawsuit against the city claiming his civil rights were violated.
His attorney, Peter Marano, did not immediately return phone messages.
Gates was arrested in July on a charge of disorderly conduct at his home near Harvard University, sparking a national debate over racial profiling. The charge against him was dropped.
