Promotion day arrives for white Conn. firefighters
Posted on 11. Dec, 2009 by Shera Crossan in Events, Feedback, Foreign and Domestic Intelligence, Race, Top Stories
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– Amid blaring bagpipes, the crowd erupted with even louder cheers, whistles and shouts when firefighters entered a high school auditorium to receive their promotional badges after a 5-year legal battle that ended with a U.S. Supreme Court victory.
The high court ruled in June that New Haven officials violated white firefighters’ civil rights when they threw out 2003 test results in which too few minorities did well. Fourteen firefighters who sued were promoted to lieutenant and captain. Another 10 firefighters, including four minorities, who took the 2003 tests but were not plaintiffs in the court case also were promoted along with an inspector.
The crowd of several hundred gave the firefighters standing ovations as they were sworn in.
“Today we acknowledge … the training, experience, character and sacrifice of these 25 officers who take on new leadership roles in this great department,” said New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. “It’s a challenge that we all acknowledge — that I acknowledge — has been earned by them.”
The case became an issue in confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who ruled against the white firefighters when she served on a federal appeals court.
Steven Durand, who was accepting his promotion to lieutenant, predicted the case would result in “sweeping changes” around the country in how promotions are handled. ”Today is a great day. It takes a lot of stress off our shoulders,” said Durand.Source. More
Wish I coulda been there to cheer!
Dennis Thompson, an attorney for black firefighters and David Rosen, an attorney (and jew)for a black New Haven firefighter who is suing the city and arguing he was unfairly denied a promotion will paralyze local governments and the civil service and hold the public hostage to endless litigation over the issue of race. This is a great problem and still jeopardizes rights of whites to be hired and promoted within civil service and needs to be addressed once and for all, no more bs. A white should NOT have to go through all this for a civil service job and promotion whereas blacks or other non whites are basically HANDED theirs.