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Florida thru Kansas: News Articles about Reverse Discrimination against Police, Fire, and Municipal Employees. |
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| By State and City: Florida (Jacksonville): Firefighters Win Reverse Discrimination Lawsuit; Fire Chief Responds Excerpted from FirstCoastNews.Com on or before 3/8/06 By First Coast News Staff "The jury sided with the firefighters. Four lieutenants claimed their promotion to Captain was blocked by then Fire Chief Ray Alfred. "The firemen claimed race was a factor. The firefighters are white, the fire chief, black. "Fire Chief Ray Alfred in testimony told the jury that race had nothing to do with it. Alfred also denied that "cultural diversity" had any influence on his decision. "Former Mayor John Delaney was also called to testify. Delaney told the jury that Alfred was one of his best hires and that the fire chief did not make decisions based on race. "The eight member jury heard closing arguments Thursday night. They didn't reach their decision until nearly 24 hours later. "As part of the verdict, the lieutenants will receive back pay as if they had been promoted to Captain. The amount to be divided among them is in excess of $220,000 before legal fees. "In the coming days the court will also rule whether the men must be promoted to the rank of Captain. "From the time the original suit was brought against the City, one of the four lieutenants has died. His widow was named as the fourth plaintiff and will be entitled to his share of the back pay. -30- Last known link: RELATED, OLDER: Excerpted from Associated Press story appearing on FirstCoastNews.Com story 3/4/06 JACKSONVILLE, FL (AP) -- "Four white fire lieutenants were not promoted by Jacksonville's black former fire chief because of their race, a jury ruled. "The lawsuit focused on the denied promotions of Lts. Michael Price, George Williams, Mike Perryman and Nolen Sauls, who has since died. On Friday, the jury awarded them back pay, finding that race was the motivating factor in former Fire and Rescue Chief Ray Alfred's decision not to create rescue captain positions even though they were next in line for promotion in 1999. "The department's rescue division chief had recommended them for the posts, but Alfred rejected the new positions after seeing the list of candidates. U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan will now decide whether to order the city to promote the men to captain as a result of the verdict. City Hall attorney Ernst Mueller called the ruling disheartening. " 'I think they got it wrong,' he said. 'I don't think that Ray Alfred discriminated.' "Alfred was not in court Friday. His phone number is not listed and he could not be reached for comment Saturday." -30- Last known link: Florida (Jacksonville): Firefighter
hiring revised Delaney's plan raises standards (04/17/99) "The new approach, which Delaney said the city needed because he was ''sick of getting sued,'' is designed to eliminate the randomness inherent in the old plan, supporters said. "It does away with computer-generated lists of candidates, which formerly determined who would get interviewed first, and raises standards by requiring more screening tests of all applicants. Those who survive the nine screens - for areas such as state certification, physical agility and criminal history - then come in for an oral review, which winnows the group even further. People who survive that go on a list with those deemed best put first." [Editor's Note: The "oral interview" consists of new U.S. Department of Justice-approved "bio-data" such as personality and other touchy-feely attributes which bear little relationship to technical skill in fighting fires, BUT which allow more minorities to be hired.]
"But, because Fire Chief Ray Alfred can still pick and choose candidates from that
list based on certain subjective factors - such as whether an applicant ''demonstrated
initiative by overcoming barriers'' - critics of the department's hiring policies are not
likely to be swayed." (Florida Times Union 04/17/99 by Karen Rivedal) RELATED --
Florida (Jacksonville): Firefighter
Jobs Delayed for Racial Quotas (01/22/99) "But it is, city Deputy General Counsel Steve Rohan said. Rohan, who is helping draft the new plan, said it was taking longer than the 60 days expected in late September because staff are sorting through policies used nationwide and reviewing recent law and court decisions on hiring and affirmative action. "Last fall, Delaney said he wanted to develop a new method for hiring firefighters because he was ''sick of the city getting sued.'' At least one possible lawsuit is pending now, from five white men who are claiming reverse discrimination prevented their hiring. " 'We are working very, very hard on this,' Rohan said, noting the goal was to continue getting qualified candidates while breaking down barriers to increased hiring of women and minorities in the department. " 'We want a system that's fair and uniform, so candidates will know where they stand,' Rohan said, noting he intends to have a new plan ready for council consideration by mid-February.
"Out of the Jacksonville Fire Department's roughly 1,000 total employees, 717 are
white men, 219 black men, 43 white women, 16 black women and 11 men and women of other
minority backgrounds." (Florida Times-Union, 01/22/99, by Karen Rivedal) RELATED --
Florida (Jacksonville): Mayor Won't
Let Firefighters Take Written Test; Racial Advancement Preferred According to the Florida Times-Union "Saying he is 'sick of seeing the city get sued,' Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney yesterday announced that a new method for hiring firefighters will likely be developed within 60 days. ''We're looking at a more progressive hiring methodology that frankly would give the [black] chief some more discretion to consider subjective factors,'' Delaney said, shortly after meeting with city lawyers." [Subjective factors? What's subjective about being able to save your house from a fire? Editor.] ''We've got to let everybody know what the rules are,'' Delaney said. ''The old [test-score based] systems that the department has used have not been satisfactory [for meeting racial hiring quotas].'' "[Councilman] Crescimbeni wondered how giving Alfred more discretion would protect the city. ''Typically discretion equals subjectivity and that equals lawsuits,'' Crescimbeni said. "Currently, five white men who didn't get hired are considering suing the city for reverse racial discrimination. "Alfred, who is the city's first black fire chief, was appointed by Delaney in 1995. Since May 1997, he has tried to hire more qualified women and minorities. He does so using a list of state-qualified candidates generated randomly by computer [based largely upon race and gender]. He generally then picks white men from the top of the list down but can move anywhere to choose women and minorities. ''There's more to it,'' Delaney said. ''I violently oppose what Councilman Crescimbeni was striving to achieve [with his test-based hiring proposal]. I think that would have been a disaster.''
"[Councilman] Crescimbeni wants firefighters chosen according to how they score on a
new written test that would be developed, with some discretion allowed within the
top-scoring band of candidates. He says his aim is making the hiring system more uniform,
a concern Delaney acknowledged yesterday was valid." (From the Florida
Sun-Sentinel, 09/23/98, by Karen Rivedal) RELATED -- Florida (Jacksonville): Fire Dept.
"Diversity" Hiring Under Fire (09/04/98) According to the Times-Union "Without saying a word, Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney this week left no doubt that he will veto a controversial City Council proposal to change how city firefighters are hired. "And, with key council support for the measure also now waning, the year-long attempt by Councilman John Crescimbeni to impose a more test-score-based approach to hiring city firefighters appears doomed. ''The mayor and his staff don't want you to vote for the bill,'' Crescimbeni said Wednesday during an emotional committee hearing on the bill, which was deferred after it couldn't muster enough support from committee members to move to the full council." Mayor Delaney's chief of staff, Susan Wiles, said that the mayor "unequivocally" supports black Fire Chief Ray Aflred's policy of hiring less-exprienced firefighters in the name of racial diversity. "Since May 1997, [black Fire Chief] Alfred has attempted to hire more qualified women and minorities as firefighters to make the historically white male department more representative of the community. "He has done so using a method in which the names of state-certified candidates are randomly generated by computer to form a list. [Black Fire Chief] Alfred then chooses white male candidates from the top of the list down, while being able to go anywhere on the list to choose women and minorities. "[Councilman] Crescimbeni's proposed method would rank candidates according to how they score on a new written test that would be developed. It also would give [Chief] Alfred some discretion to hire anyone in the top-scoring, 10 percent ''band'' of 30 or so candidates that would be created on each list of about 300 people. "Crescimbeni and other bill supporters, including Councilmen Mike Hogan and Max Leggett, maintain that approach is more consistent and eliminates discrimination. ... Crescimbeni accused [Mayor] Delaney and his staff of caving in to racial blackmail. ''They're scared of it,'' Crescimbeni told committee members. Since May 1997, black Fire Chief Ray Alfred has hired 19 white men vs. 11 "non-white" men. The city is also now facing a possible lawsuit, in which five white men who didn't get hired are alleging they were the victims of reverse racial discrimination. [Editor's note: Chief Alfred hired 19 white men vs. a total of 11 "minority and black" men. But in the U.S. the ratio of white to "non-white" is about 85% to 15%, yet Alfred's hiring formula resulted in hiring 63.3% white firefighters vs. 36.67% non-white. These stats show that Chief Alfred hired about 200% more "minority" firefighters than their numbers in the general population would justify. That's hard to justify even if you believe in reverse discrimination as a hiring policy.]
"[Chief] Alfred says his [race-based] method is preferable to that of his
predecessor, former chief Charles Clark, who hired strictly according to test scores and
experience. Alfred maintains good test-takers don't necessarily make the best
firefighters, and he noted women and minority candidates historically lack firefighting
experience." [Hmmm. So in the name of "diversity" do you want
minorities with less firefighting experience trying to save YOUR house? Editor.]
(Florida Times-Union, by Karen Rivedal, 09/04/98) Florida (Miami): Court
Forces Miami Fire Dept. to Abandon Reverse Discrimination (06/20/00) Ten years later, in 1987, the Miami Association of Firefighters, Local 587, International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO moved the district court to dissolve or modify the consent decree on grounds that it had served its purpose of remedying vestiges of discrimination. The district court refused to dissolve the decree and Local 587 appealed. In fighting the IAFF’s motion, the court invited a so-called "expert" witness, Dr. Mark Bendick, who presented spurious data "proving" that historic discrimination still affected "equal opportunity" for minority applicants to the fire department. The Court subsequently found that Dr. Bendick’s testimony relied on irrelevant and overly general census data instead of upon accurate, current data relating specifically to the vestiges of historic racial discrimination in the Miami fire department. Therefore, the 11th U.S. District Appeals Court ruled as follows on June 20, 1997: "Because Dr. Bendick's testimony was insufficient as a matter of law, we hold that the district court erred in adopting it. The case is REVERSED and REMANDED to the district court with instructions to grant Local 587's motion to dissolve the 1977 consent decree provisions relating to promotions." In other words, the Miami Fire Department’s racial hiring quotas were ruled unconstitutional and illegal by the appeals court on June 20, 1997. On June 20, 2000 Adversity.Net reader Mark Albury, who was also passed over in the Miami fire department because he was white, reported as follows: "[As a result of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Miami Fire Department] Captain Jack Hunt was [finally] promoted to District Chief last month retro active to July 1994. "...I too am in the trial period after 7 years of waiting for my day in court. I was skipped for promotion back in Feb. 1993 [because I am white]. I am the last person in the City of Miami to be skipped on the Fire Dept. that hasn't been made whole. Some cases before mine (circa 1986-87) have been tossed out on appeal before the entire 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Consent Decree in Miami was tossed out on a motion made by the IAFF Local 587 in 1989. It took the Court 8 years (from 1989 to 1997) to reverse the racial hiring quotas. Also, the City of Miami gave false testimony [by "expert" witness Dr. Mark Bendick in this case and Miami ultimately lost their attempt to retain racial quotas in the fire department."
For the complete Appeals Court Order, see: United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh
Circuit, Case No. 95-4255: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CITY of
MIAMI, FLORIDA, Defendant-Appellee, and Professional Firefighters of Miami, Local 587,
International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO, Intervenor/Defendant-Appellant. June
20, 1997. Florida
(Miami): Area
Police Depts. Sued for Reverse Discrimination (09/05/98) According to the Sun-Sentinel of South Florida "The dispute centers on practices such as the Miami Police Department hiring black officers because of their race. The policies were implemented in the early 1990s, after racially sparked riots and a high-profile trial. But two discrimination lawsuits filed against the Miami Beach and Miami police departments, as well as allegations of discrimination in North Miami, contend the policies were illegal. "On Aug. 17, three Miami Beach police officers filed a class-action federal lawsuit accusing the city of ordering a 15 percent salary cut for new hires six days after approving a consent decree to hire more women, blacks and Hispanics. "About the same time, the Miami Police Department promoted Creole-speaking and black officers in an effort to resolve and prevent racial unrest in the city. The Fraternal Order of Police sued, saying more qualified officers were passed over for promotions because they were not black.
"In March [1998], U.S. District Judge James Kehoe agreed and ordered retroactive
promotions and pay for the officers who were skipped over." (From the Sun-Sentinel of South Florida, by Dana Calvo,
9/5/98) Florida (Miami
Suburbs, Hialeah): Associated Press headline: "White Cops Win Discrimination Suit" MIAMI (AP) "Seven white police sergeants in a Miami suburb who sued the Hispanic chief of police for reverse discrimination have been awarded $1.4 million by a federal jury. The suit claimed [that Hialeah's Hispanic] Police Chief Rolando Bolanos favored Hispanic officers over whites when staffing prized units such as homicide and narcotics." The white officers on Monday were each awarded $200,000 for lost wages and benefits which they suffered since 1996 as a result of Bolanos' aggressive racial quota polices. All but one officer waived claims for pain and suffering, and that officer was awarded $10,000. Associated Press quoted the white sergeants' attorney, Michael Feiler, as saying: "The jury recognized that discrimination is discrimination, no matter what form it takes. These officers risked a lot by coming forward while still with the force.'' According to the Associated Press, Hispanic Police Chief Bolanos testified that the white sergeants' union involvement and presumed anti-authority attitudes thwarted his racial-quota policies. But Bolanos also testified that the white officers had not been insubordinate and had never received unsatisfactory evaluations. Arrogantly, Hispanic Police Chief Bolanos is quoted by AP as stating: "The conflict I have with these [white] sergeants is not about race. It's about power struggles,'' Bolanos testified. "These sergeants are opposed to my policies [regarding racial quotas].'' Bolanos also denounced the officers as defiant, militant malcontents and singled out two as racist [because they objected to his racial quota policies]. In spite of Bolanos' pro-quota tirade, the jury of 7 blacks and 3 whites sided with the [white] sergeants. (Based upon the Associated Press report 08/08/00) [Also visit the Florida Hialeah police department web site
at: Florida (Orange
County): Fire Qualifications Less
Important than Skin Color! (03/31/99 - dead link) "Iacona had proposed reducing the experience required to become a lieutenant from six years to five. That would have opened up the process to more candidates and allowed about a third more minority firefighters to apply. "But leaders of the firefighters' union objected, saying eight years of experience was a must. And Union President Mark Rhame offered commissioners a not-too-subtle reminder that white firefighters upset about being denied promotions recently won a reverse-discrimination lawsuit that cost the county $2.5 million. (See also next story: "32 FF's Sue County", below.) "Commissioner Bob Freeman ... said the union was right, adding that less experience would mean less-qualified lieutenants. Commissioner Ted Edwards agreed, saying: "I don't think people care what the race is . . . when there is an emergency." Commissioners Clarence Hoenstine and Bob Sindler joined them in voting for the union-endorsed eight-year requirement.
The minority commissioners, however, continued to argue that "diversity" was the
right thing, and they actually said that the qualifications argument was a "red
herring"! (Orlando Sentinel 03/31/99 by Scott Maxwell) Florida (Orange
County): 32 Firefighters Sue Orange County for Reverse
Discrimination Updated 10-23-98! Georgia (Atlanta): 9 Atlanta Firefighters
about to be Offered Settlement (01/27/99) Georgia (Atlanta
/ Fulton County): Black, Female Sheriff found Guilty of
Reverse Discrimination Georgia (Atlanta / Fulton County): Passed-over Firefighter (white male) awarded $1.8 million
(dead link) Georgia (Augusta) Two veteran white Augusta firefighters have sued Augusta and former Fire Chief Ronnie Few (black), charging race and age discrimination. Assistant Chief Jack O. Hanley Sr. (age 67) and Battalion Chief James T. Taylor (age 50) filed separate but similar Richmond County State Court lawsuits Friday, April 27, alleging discrimination and harassment during Chief Few's tenure over the fire department. Chief Few has since fled to the minority-friendly fire department in Washington DC where he now presides over a majority-black city. Plaintiffs Hanley and Taylor are sueing for lost wages and benefits as well as compensation for mental pain and anguish, as well as for attorney fees. Both Hanley and Taylor are also seekiing punitive damages against (former) Chief Ronnie Few personally. "The city and Chief Few will have 30 days to respond to the lawsuits. City Attorney James Wall said Tuesday he could not comment on pending litigation except to say the city would defend itself against the allegations. "Chief Hanley, 67, started at the Richmond County Fire Department in 1975, and Chief Taylor, 50, was hired by the department in 1972. Both are white men." Both Hanley and Taylor charge in their lawsuits that the Augusta department (a) has a written policy stating that firefighters older than 50 are a hazard to themselves and others; and (b) the department has an an unwritten policy favoring black employees over white employees. Both Taylor and Hanley charge that they were were suspended from work in November 1999 based on race and age, that they were docked pay and hours, and that the department changed their work schedules in order to harass them for their age and skin color. As is common in reverse discrimination lawsuits filed by white men, Augusta's equal employment opportunity office ignored Chief Hanley's and Chief Taylor's civil rights complaints. Both plaintiffs also maintain that other white males in the Augusta department have filed complaints for race and/or age discrimination. Chief Ronnie Few left the Augusta department after leading it for three years. Several scandals over "junket spending" by Few's department have surfaced since he fled to accept the Fire Chief in largely black Washington DC. (Based on the Augusta Chronicle story by Sandy Hodson 05/03/01) [Last known link: http://augustachronicle.com/stories/050301/met_192-6129.000.shtml] Illinois (Belleville): Police Racial Quota Plan
Backfires - White Officers Hired! (04/02/99) "But Russell Scott, the chairman of Belleville's Police and Fire Commission, said Thursday that the city's strict adherence to the plan should quiet complaints about hiring discrimination that resulted in a 1995 court order to hire more minorities. "We followed the procedures to the letter, I think even beyond the letter in the spirit, and I would certainly hope that Justice would realize it's time for the city to move on here," Scott said. "We need to hire these police officers." "The new [federally imposed test] system used tests and interview questions developed jointly by experts working for the city and the Justice Department. Those experts also helped score the tests, Scott said." These tests made extensive use of so-called "psychometric data" and "biographical data (biodata)" which are designed to give preference to minority applicants. Such tests minimize the use of data pertaining to applicant job-related skills, on-the-job experience, and written language communications skills.
"The new system was put in place last year as part of a 1995 consent decree between
the city and the Justice Department. The decree settled an anti-discrimination lawsuit
filed by the federal government against the city for not hiring blacks and
women." The Justic Department's suit was based solely on racial numbers and the
Constitutionally questionable concept that certain races are entitled to proportional
representation in employment. (Based on the Daily Southtown story, 04/02/99) Illinois (Chicago): Firefighters Forced to Attend Political Re-education Camp (12/22/98 - dead) Illinois (Chicago): Firemen
exchange charges in race case (01/27/99) (dead
link) "On Sept. 12, Powell was written up on physical violence charges after nine colleagues at Engine No. 96, 429 N. Waller, witnessed him picking a fight with a firefighter attempting to use the kitchen stove. 'A firefighter was cooking something to eat and Capt. Powell pushed him away from the stove. Powell said it was his stove. It's the city's stove--not his stove. A vicious verbal argument ensued and I was told about it later that evening,' Marolda said. " 'I told the members if that's what happened, make out your forms to me and I'll start the investigation. The following day, I recommended that a physical violence charge be placed against Capt. Powell and the district chief agreed. Two days later, I was charged with racial harassment.'
"Marolda and Lt. Marv Hagele have been reassigned to 'citywide' duty pending the
outcome of the Fire Department's internal investigation into Powell's race discrimination
charges. 'We're not being prosecuted. We're being persecuted,' said
Marolda." (Chicago Sun-Times, 1/26/99, by Fran Spielman) Illinois (Chicago): Daley Blames Racial Tensions on Long Fire Shifts! (01/23/99) (dead link) The facts suggest that Daley is dreaming. The white firefighters in the department frequently and publicly object to such racially-preferential practices as adjusting minority firefighters’ scores upwards if they don’t initially pass the exam. Minorities claim this creates a hostile work environment, while whites contend that using racial quotas creates a hostile work environment for them! Conversely, minority firefighters
object to the white firefighters practice of posting news articles which are
uncomplimentary toward the use of racial quotas and preferences. The Mayor should
listen to the union leader: getting back to qualifications without regard to skin
color will do a lot more to solve racial tensions than shortening the shifts.
(Based on Chicago Sun-Times, 12/23/99, by Fran Spielman) Illinois
(Chicago): Slanted Tribune Article Condemns Re-Instatement
of Firefighters (01/02/99 - dead) Illinois (Chicago): 9 White Firefighters Passed Over for Less-Qualified Minorities
(no link) Illinois (Chicago): Mayor Daley Thumbs Nose at EEOC; Defends Non-Racial Fire Dept.
Policies (no link) Illinois (Chicago): Chicago
FOP Sues to Halt Reverse-Racist Promotions Scheme Illinois
(Highland Park): ACLU Forces Highland Park
Police to Racially Profile Everyone! (07/14/00)
Neither the ACLU nor the Highland Park Police have publicly offered any proof that
officers ever engaged in any racially discriminatory behavior. (Adversity.Net
special report 07/14/00) Illinois
(State): 5,000 White Males Illegally Rejected by
Illinois State Police Since 1975! Kansas (Kansas City): KC police
commissioners call minority recruitment program a failure (06/22/99) "Other efforts to recruit minorities also were criticized as ineffective by police commanders and commissioners during the Board of Police Commissioners' regular meeting. "Much of the discussion Tuesday focused on a cadet program started in 1994 that paid for two years of college for minority recruits when they agreed to enter the police academy. "The program was accused of discrimination last year when the city applied for a grant to help pay for the program. The U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Civil Rights [Bill Lann Lee, et al] responded to the application by saying, "To the extent that white male candidates are excluded, there may be some discrimination." "Since the program started five years ago, 51 minorities applied and 22 were accepted. Seventeen of them later dropped out, leaving five still in the program. Most left the program because of poor grades, inappropriate behavior or refusal to cooperate, said Nick Nichols, manager of human resources.
"The city has spent $185,000 for the program, Nichols said, but the costs will rise
because three recruits are still in school. If all the recruits do become officers, it
will mean the city paid at least $37,000 to recruit each officer." (The Kansas
City Star, 06/22/99, by Christine Vendel) Kansas (Kansas
City): Sheriff's Dept. Sued for
Reverse Discrimination (no link) Kansas (Topeka):
Latino
Peace Officers' Group in Topeka (01/28/99)
" 'I think there's always a need for this kind of organization,' said John P.
Anguiano, Topeka police sergeant and president of the local chapter. 'I believe
there is a need, and it's not just for certain areas of town. It's for the whole
community.' The Topeka chapter consists of 19 members -- 17 from the
Topeka department, one from the Shawnee County Sheriff's Department and one from the
University of Kansas Police Department." (Topeka News, 01/29/99, by Kevin
Bates of the Capital Journal) End Police Fire (2) Florida to Kansas |
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