laogaiguk

Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea
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Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:20 pm Post subject: Just the stupidity of the legal system |
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Dog food served to firefighter costs city $2.7M
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LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The city of Los Angeles is paying $2.7 million to settle a lawsuit from a black firefighter who claims he suffered racial discrimination after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food.
The Los Angeles City Council approved the award Wednesday, 11 to 1.
In his lawsuit, firefighter Tennie Pierce, 51, said after he took a bite of the meal two years ago, he noticed other firefighters laughing. He demanded to know what was in the food after a second bite but nobody answered.
Pierce said he suffered retaliation for reporting the incident and verbal slurs, insults and derogatory remarks, including taunting by firefighters "barking like dogs [and] asking him how dog food tasted," the lawsuit said.
David Wellman, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz hired by Pierce's attorney, said the association of a black man and dog food "resonates with the deep historical roots of slavery and the corresponding dehumanization."
"It's not just silly stuff. It's racially motivated," he said.
As part of the settlement, the two captains involved were given one month off without pay, and a firefighter was ordered off work for three days without pay.
"I truly hope that my case will make a difference for African-Americans in the Los Angeles Fire Department," Pierce said in a statement.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
Seriously, both things are ass backward. The two captains should have received a much harsher punishment (at the very least, being demoted) and the guy most definitely should have got a lot less than 2.7 million. He doesn't deserve that. No one, no matter how bad the name calling, deserves that much. |
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