EXCLUSIVE!

Targeted firefighter: ‘I can no longer carry this burden around because someone is willfully creating an environment that is not conducive for me to work in’

Someone apparently left a noose for a black Albany firefighter to find at work – at a firehouse staffed and funded by taxpayers – and three white officers did nothing about it.

Indeed, the March 14 incident might even be worse than that: Black firefighter Edward Taylor alleges that one of the officers responded by asking Taylor the proper method of tying a noose, and that another, higher-ranking officer told Taylor to put the rope away because he didn’t want “anything to come of this.”

Fire Chief James Carswell has suspended Battalion Chief James Sanders, Lt. T.R. Bridges and Lt. C.B. Nobles pending the outcome of an investigation.

If Taylor ’s allegation of harassment is proven to be true, Albany ’s city attorney says, criminal charges could be filed. Still, our top public administrator won’t bring in the FBI to get to the bottom of it. That’s how important it is these days for our elective and administrative leaders to keep our city government’s affairs secret.

In what is the second time in six weeks that City Manager Alfred Lott has deliberately opted against objectivity in a sensitive internal investigative matter, the noose probe will be handled internally in an organization that prescripts investigative results. What a shame.

In the other recent matter, three high-ranking Albany police supervisors discussed answers during an exam; rather than calling for an independent investigation, a detective with directed ties to the three supervisors conducted the probe. Last year, the city manager ordered an investigation with a predetermined outcome into alleged wrongdoing by local governments’ minority business office.

Taylor said in a statement that this isn’t the first time he’s been harassed. “Yet, because of fear of retaliation, I could not address this situation without fearing loss of my job, demotion, and being singled out,” he said. “However, I can no longer carry this burden around because someone is willfully creating an environment that is not conducive for me to work in …

“During this episode, no one, especially my company officer, did anything to stop this visual harassment or protect me from the humiliation I had to endure because of this.”

For Carswell’s part, he handled Taylor ’s complaint perfectly. After confirming with the three officers that they did not report the noose incident, he suspended them, saying in a memorandum to them: “I am embarrassed that someone in our department felt compelled to display this type of insensitive behavior, but equally I am disappointed that you did not immediately secure the rope as evidence and insist on an investigation into the matter. Your inaction placed our employees in a position to be threatened or intimidated, with no recourse, because you as the supervisor did nothing to assure the employee this type of behavior is inappropriate and would be investigated properly.”

Who’s to blame for our leadership’s unwillingness for public employees to be independently scrutinized – unless a consultant is commissioned, which almost by definition rules out independence? It’s Lott’s bosses (Mayor Willie Adams and his colleagues), of course. The other five commissioners are all competent, but they thus far lack the moxie to appraise – much less replace – Lott, despite having a legal obligation to do evaluate the manager’s performance.

Meanwhile, Albany ’s voters and nonvoters are culpable for this top-level malfeasance in Albany city government. While Adams and the city commissioners keep Lott on the job, voters and nonvoters opted to keep Adams and City Commissioner Tommie Postell in office in November.

Here’s another way of looking at it: If the FBI doesn’t investigate Taylor ’s complaint, it’s the City Commission’s decision; that’s because with 24 hours’ notice, our elected leaders could meet, overrule Lott, and bring the feds in to take over the case. Or, perhaps better yet, if Adams and Postell told Lott to bring in the feds, he would (and then, perhaps, throw in a couple of foot massages.)

Assistant City Manager James Taylor, who is black and is no relation to Edward Taylor, was selected by Lott to conduct the investigation.

While Lott, as a rule, doesn’t answer The Albany Journal’s questions because of the newspaper’s exposure of Lott’s violations of policies and law, City Attorney Nathan Davis acknowledged to the Journal, “There is a pending investigation of possible unlawful activity being conducted. When that investigation has been completed, we will provide a copy of any report generated by Mr. Taylor.”

It wasn’t my idea to bring in the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Carswell’s suggested it in a March 16 e-mail to Lott. And it’s a doggone good one.

“I went over with Nathan (Davis, city attorney) what I am doing initially with the supervisors concerning the incident we discussed yesterday,” Carswell wrote. “I suggested that the FBI handle the investigation of the incident, but Nathan felt that was a decision that should come from your office. Nathan thought it would be a good idea if we all met tomorrow to discuss how we would proceed with the investigation.”

In an e-mail to Human Resources Director Jim Coston, Carswell added, “Can we meet Monday morning to discuss how to proceed with the investigation? I have some concerns and would like to discuss hiring someone from outside the City to do the investigation.”

Firefighter Edward Taylor’s Statement

On Friday, March 14, 2008, I reported to my assigned Station 4. Around lunchtime Station 10 arrived at Station 4 per Chief Sanders. After they arrived, Chief Sanders was going over job performance tests, dates they would be available, and looking for volunteers.

AOE Ricky Marshall noticed a rope tied in a noose hanging on the day room coat rack. He picked it up and commented, “What dumb ass did this?” While AOE Marshall had the noose in his hand, Officer Tommy Bridges told him to show how a noose is supposed to look, and explain to him how many loops are to be put in a noose. There were several firemen who witnessed the noose. I was offended and felt visually harasses (sic).

Firefighter Underwood told me, “Don’t let this bother you. They are just showing their ignorance.” Later, Firefighter Rash told me he “was sorry for the stupid sh— that was displayed.” The only thing said by Chief Sanders was “make sure you untie the noose so no one else can see it because I don’t want anything to come of this.”

The recent camaraderie towards the display of a noose was very disturbing to me and indicates that racial (sic) and inequalities exist in the workplace. This was deeply offensive and should not be tolerated in the Albany Fire Department.

I have been with the City of Albany Fire Department since 2001. A lot of things have taken place, yet I was reluctant to report anything because I was always looking for the positive things in the work atmosphere. However, today was a whole new realization for me of inappropriate things that take place at work. I have addressed things in the past in a manner so that things can be resolved at a lower level. That has not worked and my work setting only became more stressful with the inappropriate behaviors that were surrounding me at my job.

During the last few years many inappropriate things have taken place that have affected me physically, mentally and professionally. I knew what was happening was out of place and unethical in the work place. Yet, because of fear of retaliation, I could not address this situation without fearing loss of my job, demotion, and being singled out. However, I can no longer carry this burden around because someone is willfully creating an environment that is not conducive for me to work in.

The City of Albany Fire Department handbook on Rules and Regulations are put in place to abide by and to protect the employees. However, the rules have not been followed according to protocol. During this episode, no one, especially my company officer, did anything to stop this visual harassment or protect me from the humiliation I had to endure because of this.

For decades the use of a noose was a symbolic part of a promotion of violence, fear and intimidation against black Americans. At this t time I will seek other options to handle this matter.

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