Noose Found in Locker of Black Man Suing NYFD for Discrimination

What's the best way to express your frustration with allegations of workplace discrimination? Hang a noose in a black colleague's locker!

The New York Daily News reports:

An FDNY electrician who filed a race discrimination complaint against the department in December says a noose was left in front of his work locker last week.

Gregory Seabrook, an FDNY communications electrician for nearly 20 years, found the noose Thursday at the FDNY facility at 87 Union St. in Brooklyn, his lawyers said yesterday.

"There's an ominous message behind it," lawyer Stephen Jackson said of the nearly 3-foot-long noose, which he plans to display at a press conference today and then hand over to authorities.

Seabrook, who is black, and four other minority electricians filed complaints with the New York State Division of Human Rights, charging the Fire Department overlooks minority electricians for overtime opportunities and promotions.

The most troubling part of this whole thing might be the thought process of the noose hanger who evidently thought that this would be a good way to defend the nondiscriminatory good name of New York City's fire department. We can only hope that he uses more brain power when it comes to saving people from burning buildings.

Read more at the Daily News.

In other news: HIV and African Americans: What's Behind the Devastating Statistics?