More Jacksonville, Fla. firefighters spoke out Thursday about the criminal investigation into hangman's nooses found on the equipment of black firefighters.
On Tuesday, after nine months of investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released their final reports on two separate incidents, finding that two firefighters did not pass lie detector tests and one of the potential victims did not cooperate with detectives.
Investigators said they could not determine who placed the nooses and have closed the case. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department also said they found no credible evidence of a crime.
At a midday Thursday, the leadership of Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters gathered in front of City Hall to call for the department to turn their focus to the recommendations of the Human Rights Commission.
"The noose incident is just a highly visible manifestation of a broader, persistent problem with the (fire) department," said Adrian Johnson, president the group. "There is nothing the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters can do to solve the noose incident. If the Justice Department couldn't solve it, the Jacksonville Brotherhood of Firefighters certainly can't solve it."
Also on Thursday, Mayor John Peyton said he would send a letter to every fire station in the city saying that while the city cannot take any disciplinary action at this point, he urges healing within the department.
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