Black firefighters at a North Carolina department are demanding an external investigation of staffers in response to allegations of racism, intimidation and harassment.
Calling itself "Omnibus," the group of current and former Black firefighters with the Winston-Salem Fire Department held a news conference Monday outside Fire Station 1, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The event addressed the racism, harassment and other issues Black members in the department routinely encountered
White firefighters were accused of harassing Black colleagues by calling racial slurs and spitting chewing tobacco on their boots, In saome cases, noose-making workshops were held, and gorilla-head costumes were left at the desks of a Black firefighters, according to Miranda Jones, a member of local activist group Hate Out of Winston.
“These men are catching hell in their firehouses,” she told the Journal. “It took a lot of bravery for these men to reach out and tell their truth."
“It took a lot of courage to give us the sordid details of the rampant racism within the Winston-Salem Fire Department,” added Jones, who was part of a contingent of about 90 people from a variety of other area activist organizations who turned out for Monday's event to support the firefighters.
As part of Monday's event, Omnibus released a set of demands for the fire department to address, including the dismissal of Chief William "Trey" Mayo, "as his performance record reveals an abundance of city and fire department violations and failure to adequately serve all members of the department and the residents of Winston-Salem."
The group of also is calling on external investigations of staffers "suspected of blatant, gross, and repeated violations of sexual harassment, social media, or code of conduct policies," according to the group. Jones suggested that part of the $78.7 million earmarked for the city's police department for the 2020-21 fiscal year could go toward investigations, as well as diversity training for the fire department.
"The city has a very strict policy that does not tolerate racial discrimination or harassment. I encourage any employee that has specific allegations to bring them forward to our city attorney’s office for a thorough investigation," City Manager Lee Garrity stated in an email addressing firefighters' concerns sent to the Journal before the news conference.
