Firefighter files racial discrimination lawsuit against the city of Rochester
Jerrod Jones' lawsuit cited one instance in which firefighters drilled ventilation holes through the roofs of Black homes to "prepare" for perilous circumstances in white dwellings.
A Black New York firefighter who last year said he was forced to attend a Juneteenth party that featured various racist tropes has filed a lawsuit against the city of Rochester alleging racial discrimination.
According to News 8 WROC, Jerrod Jones’ lawsuit also names the Rochester Fire Department and its former captain, Jeffery Krywy. Jones, a 15-year RFD veteran, claimed that in addition to witnessing harassment and bias directed at himself and his fellow Black coworkers, he also saw firefighters disregard the property of Black residents.
Jones’ lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, cites an instance in which firefighters drilled ventilation holes through the roofs of Black homes to “prepare” for perilous circumstances in white dwellings.Â
In another situation, the lawsuit claims, he received instructions to use the jaws of life in a “minor fender bender” to demolish a Black woman’s vehicle.
The lawsuit references the incident Jones reported a year ago when his captain forced him to attend a party featuring a cutout of former president Donald Trump, Juneteenth flags next to buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and an impersonator mimicking a local Democratic politician.
City authorities, saying they had not yet been served, had no other comment.
Jones filed a legal complaint with the state Supreme Court following the Juneteenth party on July 7, 2022, hosted by a Rochester couple, Dr. Nicholas Nicosia and his wife, Mary Znidarsic-Nicosia, theGrio previously reported.
Their lawyer said during a press conference that the party wasn’t racist but rather anti-liberal.
“I am not racist,” Znidarsic-Nicosia said at the time, according to theGrio. Her husband added, “The only thing I hate more than racism are false racist allegations.”
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