A noose found at the Rocky Mountain Fire Academy in Denver, Colorado earlier this year has sparked an investigation and calls for punishment. The facility, which trains firefighters from Denver and Aurora, is physically located in Denver.
Officials have apparently identified the firefighter involved and are contemplating what to do in terms of punishment or sensitivity training. The firefighter claims it was a joke related to him being assigned to undergo training, and was not racially motivated. However, the historical connection between the noose and racism makes it difficult for officials to ignore. For more on the story:
This is a hate crime and should be treated as such. We are seeing far too many of these incidents in the firehouses and it send the wrong message about who we are and what we stand for.
Thanks John
I agree and I am not sure what we need to do to make the point that a noose has a symbolic meaning to a large segment of our population beyond what many firefighters realize.
I am not sure if our firefighters understand the historical and racial significance of a noose. The firefighters categorize it as a prank. Possibly an article about this topic would be worthwhile.