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Is Race Still a Factor in the Fire Service?
I just read on Stater911 about a FF in Austin TX who was fired for posting naked pics of himself online. He did this on his own time and was fire because it showed poorly against the Austin FD. I don't know if "size" was a factor. But in DC a FF was cooking naked in a firehouse, intoxicated off duty. Nothing has happened and his name has not be given out. Now the reason I bring this up is because 30 African-American FF filed a grievince agianst the DCFD for whites being less punished then blacks for the same instances.
In my time I've people come up and talk to me about issues in thier firehouse from being called nigger or hearing nigger/black jokes to be denied driving privliedges. Just recently I heard of a company that had one African-American and while at the company banquet members thought it would be funny to serve him and HIS WIFE, chicken and watermelon. They came to me because I attended the state and county meetings and spoke my mind. While a member of the Recruitment and Retention committee I tried to have them place our booth at the Hispanic and African-American Festivals besides the state fair. No luck. I asked if companies wanted me to contact loal black churches with them to try to get members no luck.
I don't paint everyone with the same brush. I've had some very good experiences in the fire serivce. I'm, always welcomes where ever I go whenever I say I'm a FF from Delaware. I've had more bad experiences with the public then the fire service but I know there are problems out there.
I ask, "does your company or department reflect your community. Comning from a predominately Black department I'm proud of the fact that we have more white members then whites in the community.
My question is - As you look at your department, does it reflect the community? If not have you approached people of color to get them to join, if so how, if not why. Do you think the members of color are treated fairly in your company or department?
And lastly, do you think there is still a racial issue in the fire service today?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
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Craig:
As long as leaders are given latitude to determine different degrees of misconduct, there will always be room for us to complain that one incident was treated differently than a similar incident. It must be dealt with in terms of ZERO tolerance; just like discrimination. Example: not being allowed to drink from the same drinking fountain vs. being required to sit at the back of the bus. Examples that might be assigned different degree, but they are both discrimination, nonetheless and should NEVER be tolerated.
If we remove "flexibility" from the process, then the same might be said. if the punishment seems too severe.
I don't know what the answer is, but I can tell you this: From what I have studied on the Austin FD member being fired; regardless of his race, regardless of it being on his time and regardless that you had a jealous husband involved... he LIED to investigators when asked about it. Lying has nothing to do with discrimination.
And the fact that he was on his own time? He identified himself as an Austin FF and THAT has everything to do with the reputation of the FD, unless we want our public to think that we womanize, engage in voyuerism, pornography and you know; display behavior that is counter to; you know, being a firefighter.
The Georgia FF that was fired for sending the video of the fatal vehicle crash-FF Terence Reid-is African American. Could we say that it was because of his race? Yeah; but we would be wrong.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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"naked + internet = distribution of porn = grounds for dismissal"
Really? There are nude pictures of bodies (and parts of bodies) on various medical and informational websites.
To simply conclude that naked + internet = distribution of porn is not only ridiculous but smacks of an ignorant conservatism that belongs back on the pilgrim era. Sheesh, talk about being prudish.
Also I'd suggest looking up what is considered to be porn. Nudity is not. But then Heather, you may be more knowledgeable than the Supreme Court.
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Heather,
I think your prejudice is showing:
Watermelon is an African melon which was brought over and cultivated in the american south. It's logical that africans would have eaten a food they were familiar with.
As for chicken, they were cheap and easy to raise and as many slaves as poor whites ate chicken. To presume that chicken and watermelon are "slave" foods only is a prejudice.
Also, for the poor white, they often hired themselves out to the wealthy (ier) white land owner and were treated as badly as the blacks.
While not common, there were free black property owners who themselves owned slaves.
Bringing someone different food is NOT a form of segregation (or prejudice). [If I have jewish friends over and they only eat kosher, I'll have kosher food for them (or halal for my muslim friend).] So your overly broad definition of segregation is another example of your own biases. Bringing someone that is black, chicken and watermelon suggests a racist overtone and in most contexts would be a racist thing to do. But then, I suspect you'd have no problem offering someone from italy, spaghetti and meatballs because you would think you were making them feel at home.
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Permalink Reply by Mark Oomkes on
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I love chicken and watermelon.
I love spaghetti as well.
And if we really want to get into it, slavery has absolutely nothing to do with racism or vice versa. It may have perpetuated here in the USA, but who are the ones who captured and sold slaves to the slave traders that brought them across the Atlantic? Who were the ones that were using their fellow country men\women as slaves before America was America?
If we do equate racism and slavery, does this make the African-Africans (as opposed to African-Americans) who had their own slaves as well as sold slaves to the slave traders to sell them in America racists? Even though it was African-Africans selling African-Africans? And enslaving them?
FYI I don't believe in using hyphenated titles for groups, no offense meant, but we are all Americans, not African-Americans, Irish-Americans, Dutch-Americans, Polish-Americans....you get the idea. Just Americans.
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Most cultures captured and kept slaves, as a result of war and conquest. Slavery itself was never defined so much by color as by wining. Slavery was a means of conquest and subjugation.
But slavery in the US was not about either, it was about cheap labor and a belief that it was both a good and christian thing to do. Africans were seen as less than human (as opposed to northern africans) and american slavery was defended based upon interpretations of the bible. So in our (american) case I would say that slavery was indeed based on racism, as opposed to conquest.
Africans selling africans was a result of inter-tribal warfare and what better way to get rid of your enemies than to sell them to whites who would take them away forever. As opposed to just killing them, they sold them for a profit. Sounds very republican to me.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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If only we could do the same with politicians........Don't forget it is Tuesday (election day) it's time to take out the trash.....
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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"I don't believe in using hyphenated titles for groups, no offense meant, but we are all Americans, not African-Americans, Irish-Americans, Dutch-Americans, Polish-Americans....you get the idea. Just Americans."
Right on mark.
FYI, I'm half Irish and half German, so just give me beer and I'm good!
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Election Day?? I thought they said Erection Day! All that Viagra for nothing, boy is my face red...
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Permalink Reply by George A. Laiacona III on
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What does being republican have to do with selling another human being for a profit?
This has been an excellent discussion on bias. Now we have another example to discuss in addition to race - politics. I imagine there are firefighters who have taken some heat for expressing personal political beliefs.
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Me I am half French and half Irish....So I don't know whether to fight the SOB or kiss him.......I'll let the Frech side take over for the moment and just surrender.
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Isn't that what Obama has been doing...? Aren't we all becoming slaves of a starved economy...shipping jobs and manufacturing businesses overseas and then rewarding companies with tax breaks...? OOPS, sorry all...will get down off my soap box now.......
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Permalink Reply by larry jenkins on
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Craig,
Yes, it still goes on and always will. It goes on because the chief's make it continue. Things have improved but won't change unless we make it go away. I have seen the opposite of what you talk of. Our admin would reach down and promote minorities over white males. I was jumped over twice on one list. One list years ago where I was at the top was thrown out because there were no minorities on the list. I have also seen the opposite of discipline being handed out giving minorities less discipline than white males. I'm not a racist, just a realist.
In a perfect world, give a test and promote the ones who score best. If they can't do the job, then demote them. I don't care what color or gender you are if you can do the job.
This hornets nest is not going away.
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