A black firefighter has filed a complaint with the FDNY after he found a noose next to his bunker gear at his Brooklyn firehouse last month.
Firefighter Lanaird Granger, of Engine 238 in Greenpoint, said he made the chilling discovery on Jan. 16, when he found the noose hanging next to his equipment while he was getting ready for an emergency run.
He said he believes one of his colleagues is responsible.
"I don't know of anyone who has experienced . . . this kind of discrimination. This is more like a threat. This is more like a threat of times gone by," Granger said at a press conference yesterday.
He filed a complaint about the incident yesterday with the city's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the FDNY is investigating the matter.
"The department is taking these allegations very seriously and has immediately begun an investigation into these claims. We condemn this type of outrageous behavior and anyone engaging in such behavior will be dealt with severely," Scoppetta said.
The Vulcan Society, which represents black firefighters, also blasted the incident.
"How many black men, women and even children have been put in these nooses over the years? Is this 2005 or is this 1905?" said Vulcan Society president Paul Washington.
He said the troubling incident is part of a larger problem with the department.
"We think the signal comes down from Commissioner Scoppetta and Mayor Bloomberg because of their lack of effort to integrate this job," said Washington. "It seems to set a tone."
Just 3 percent of FDNY members are black, and more than 95 percent is white, Washington said.
"We choose to be firefighters because it's a great job," Washington said, but he added that he's concerned "things like this won't stop
