A federal lawsuit filed by three Jacksonville firefighters heated up on Wednesday after a high-ranking firefighter testified that he overheard a former fire chief using a racial slur.
Three white firefighters who claim they were passed over for promotions because of the color of their skin are suing the city and former fire chief Ray Alfred.
The men contend Alfred, who is black, denied them captain's positions because they did not reflect cultural diversity in the fire department.
The federal discrimination trial has sometimes explored offensive and sensitive issues, and a discussion about the use of the word cracker took most of Wednesday morning.
District Chief Howard Eddins told the jury he heard Alfred make a statement using the derogatory term while referring to a white person.
Eddins testified that when Alfred was Fire Chief he used the word in a private conversation, describing New York City firefighters. Eddins testified that Alfred said, "Those crackers think they know everything."
The defense called Alfred back to the stand to question him about the comment.
Alfred said he referred to the NYC firefighters as door-crackers, a known firefighter nickname for people who try to break down doors.
Websters.com defines the word cracker as a poor, usually Southern, white nickname.
"The c-word or n-word is very offensive. I don't like anyone using it," Alfred said.
Former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney also took the stand Wednesday afternoon.
Delaney told the jury that Alfred was a very careful spender, and that the budget was always a concern for him; referring to Alfred's reasoning behind not creating the four captain's positions.
Outside of the courtroom Delaney told Channel 4 reporter Melanie Lawson, "Ray would not make a decision based on race. We didn't decide to not create the four positions because the next four people were white, black, or green. The bottom line is, you can't not hire and promote people on that bases. I didn't do and Ray didn't do it. This was an open and aggressive department, but the hiring decisions at the top were not racially based."
Closing arguments are expected to be heard Thursday morning.
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