Racial Intimidation at Jacksonville Station
Two Jacksonville firefighters found nooses in their gear at the fire station. I first saw this on Firefighter Blog, but here some details from Firehouse.com:
The fire station at Duval and Jefferson streets downtown became the scene of a hate-crime investigation Friday morning when two black firefighters arrived at work to find nooses on their gear.Firefighter Rufus Smith found a noose on his suit when he reported to work at 7 a.m. Smith immediately reported it to his superiors.
Smith said finding the noose made him angry and scared.
"We're afraid -- my life is on the line," Smith said. "I give my life to the citizens of Jacksonville any day, any second, all day for 17 years."
Roderick Laws, the only other black firefighter on this shift at the station, also found a noose draped on his gear.
The investigation needs to find the perpetrator and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. Here is more about penalties from the article:
Prosecutors told Channel 4 that while the act itself was likely a misdemeanor crime, if it was considered a hate crime, by Florida statute, the person would receive an additional five-year sentence.
The entire fire service needs to condemn the actions of the person that planted the nooses.
