Posted on 03/21/2008 6:12:36 AM PDT by Bulldawg Fan
Firefighters investigated
The Albany fire chief calls a noose incident an "embarrassment" to the department. J.D. Sumner
ALBANY — Three Albany firefighters, including a battalion chief, have been suspended with pay after a fellow firefighter said he felt “visually harassed” after the discovery of a rope tied in a knot similar to a hangman’s noose at an Albany fire station, according to documents released Thursday.
An investigation is being conducted into the incident by City Manager Alfred Lott’s office. Pending the results of that investigation, Chief James Carswell has suspended Lt. T.R. Bridges, Lt. C.B. Nobles and Battalion Chief James Sanders with pay, according to letters obtained Thursday through a Georgia Open Records law request.
According to a complaint filed by firefighter Edward Taylor, around noon on March 14 a firefighter noticed a rope, commonly used by firefighters to practice tying knots, hanging from a coat hook in fire station No. 4 on West Gordon Avenue.
After the discovery of the noose, the complaint suggests that the supervisors simply ordered the knot to be untied and discussed the proper way a noose was tied, according to the complaint.
According to e-mails between Carswell, Sanders, Taylor and Lott, Carswell didn’t learn of the incident until the next day when Taylor e-mailed the complaint to his office.
In those series of e-mails and letters, Carswell calls the incident an “embarrassment” and scolds the three supervisors for not being cognizant of the seriousness of the situation.
“I am embarrassed that someone in our department felt compelled to display this type of insensitive behavior, but equally I am disappointed that you as a station officer did not immediately secure the rope as evidence and insist on an investigation into the matter,” Carswell wrote to the three supervisors.
After receiving the complaint, Carswell replied to Taylor, asking him to meet with him the next business day to discuss the matter and potential remedies. Taylor declined, saying that he would need time to “explore other options and find legal representation,” according to the e-mails.
“During this episode no one, especially my company officer, did anything to stop this ‘VISUAL HARRASSMENT’(sic) or protect me from the humiliation that I had to endure because of this,” Taylor wrote in his complaint to Carswell. “For decades the use of ‘NOOSE’ was a symbolic part of a promotion of violence, fear and intimidation against Black Americans. At this time I will seek other options to handle this matter.”
Albany's reaction, pulling their hair out in anguish over a rope left on a coat hanger because some minority felt "offended" is disgusting. Its the city leadership that is pushing the investigation that should be fired.
“visually harassed”
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
H.B.T.D. !!
Wait until the ROP and the UN starts suing us for cross knots.
Reminds me of some I recently saw. We were watching the DVD of the second season of Emergency! (bought the first three seasons for the wife for Christmas).
Anyway, Johnny Gage was teaching the guys how to tie knots and was being sort of arrogant about it, and one of the other firefighters starts toward him with a noose.
Guess it was funny back then!!!!
The country really needs to loosen up and retrieve it’s sense of humor.
I meant to say “something” in the first sentence.
A little more..... Johnny was supposed to be American Indian decent and the firefighter with the noose was Hispanic (Marco Lopez).
I've been a Michigan certified firefighter instructor for more years than I'd like to remember. In every rookie class there is at least one smart ass who ties a noose.
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