LA pays firefighter millions after prank

[David]

I'm not going to say that it was a nice thing to do, or that I would want it done to me, or that I would do it to someone else, but 2.7 million bucks because some firefighter had a prank pulled on him and he played the race card is just plain stupid, IMHO.

[CHPwannaBE]

Big News Network.com
Thursday 9th November, 2006 (UPI)

The Los Angeles City Council has voted to award more than $2.7 million
to a black firefighter who sued the city alleging racial harassment.
The council voted 11-1 to settle the case of Tennie Pierce, who
claimed in his suit that fellow firefighters mixed dog food into his
dinner two years ago, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Pierce took a large bite, at which time he noticed the other
firefighters were laughing and making noises, the lawsuit said. He
took a second bite, then demanded to know what was in his food, but no
one would tell him. Pierce then left the kitchen with his co-workers
laughing at him.
Pierce's suit contended that the prank was racially motivated, while a
lawyer for one of the defendants said the incident was a good-natured
prank... (not) in any way motivated by race.
David Wellman, a University of California Santa Cruz professor who was
hired by Pierce's attorney, said: It's not just silly stuff. It's
racially motivated... The organization labels it as macho, 'boys will
be boys' behavior. I think it's more about keeping blacks out by
making their lives so miserable that they don't want to stay.

[bcjack]

I'm really sorry for what I am about to state....BUT.....











Who ever put dog food in that guy's meal is a F*****G A****** and deserves to have his a** kicked in the parking lot, and then FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

In the Fire House, you don't mess with:
Food
Family
Money
Protective clothing

[David]

Protective clothing I thought the whole water/juice/soda/shaving cream/whatever in the boots for the probie was pretty much the norm. That's what my friends who are firefighters tell me, and they had it done to them when they were new.

[Flying Pig]

Im thinking Tennie was never in the Marines!

You know....was it childish....Yeah, I think you definitly stay away from people food. Was it done because LA City Fire hates Black people? C'mon. The dude and his lawyer saw the chance and rode the wave all the way to the bank.

When I first became a cop....I had Sweet and Low put in my AC vent.....a can of Sardines put in my trunk......Hmmmm...what else.....I had a friend who put about 50 crickets in a guys unit.....Now that was funny....because we have take home vehicles!

For about three days...he'd key his mic and you'd hear chirpping....HA! I had to pull over a few times I was laughing so hard!!!!:lol:

[PapaBear]

Here is what I posted in another Forum. There is an article which accompanies the story.

A Los Angeles City Firefighter was recently awarded 2.7 Million DOLLARS for a firehouse prank that was deemed racial in nature.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/09/firefighter.harassment.ap/index.html

Be careful what pranks you may pull. They can backfire!!!!!

[23112]

I'd have to agree with Flying Pig. My brother in law is firefighter and I've heard all sorts of stories about what they do to each other. It sounds like the guy can't take a joke and capitalized on an opportunity to play the race card and retire young. I realize there are a lot of details I'm not privvy to, but I think it's idiotic to say that putting a couple spoonfuls of dog food in a person's food is racially-motivated. Frankly, I think people who are quick to play the race card are often open the charge of racism themselves because skin color is on the fore-front of their minds at all times.

Come to think of it, the Academy staff failed me on room inspections even though my room was clean. Maybe it was because I'm white. Hmmm...I'd better go call my lawyer.

[Mac]

Frankly, I think people who are quick to play the race card are often open to the charge of racism themselves because skin color is on the fore-front of their minds at all times.
I agree 100%. The biggest problem is that the race card is easy to throw out there and our society has been conditioned to an immediate knee-jerk reaction to it without even knowing all the facts.

[SB 405]

Man if I had a dime for everytime I've heard the "race card" where I work. A guest will ask for something and if we can't appease them and they happen to be a person of color...they go off. And of course they have to yell so everyone can hear how they are being treated:rolleyes:

[chico.medic]

I'm sorry, but this really makes me mad!

I don't mess with you because you're black, Asian, Indian, French, Portuguese, or anything else

I mess with you because:
1) You're an idiot, I hate you, and it's a mean hearted show of aggression, and oh yea, I'll put my life/ass/etc on the line to save yours when the $hit hit's the fan, because we are brothers/sisters, whatever.

or
2) Your new, I'm messing with you, welcome to the industry- It happens to everyone, and oh yea.....I'll put my life/ass/etc on the line to save yours when the $hit hit's the fan, because we are brothers/sisters, whatever.

I have no tolerance for people who whine, " Oh, they did it because I'm black/ white/ Asian/ Indian/ whatever."

Ever notice how people being "oppressed because of race" are the most racist people out there?

[Mac]

...And of course they have to yell so everyone can hear how they are being treated:rolleyes:
That's when you'd love to yell back "It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with your race - you're being treated this way because you're an A**HOLE!!!!!" :badgrin:

[SB 405]

...And of course they have to yell so everyone can hear how they are being treated:rolleyes:
That's when you'd love to yell back "It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with your race - you're being treated this way because you're an A**HOLE!!!!!" :badgrin:

You'll never know how bad Mac I want to do just that. Gotta love dealing with the public.

[bcjack]

Here is a prank that was done in the early 1960's in our fire house...

First...You get the unlucky guy (yea, at the time it was all GUYS) out of the station:badgrin:

Second...Get an inner tube from a fire engine tire (an inner tube is what used to go inside of a tire to keep it inflated) (has to be a big inner tube)

Third...Fold it in half.

Fourth...Place it under the upper half (Head end) of the victim's mattress.

Fifth...Run an air hose (Hide it really good) from the inner tube to a breathing apparatus bottle in a good hiding place (You need the high pressure to make this work)

Sixth...When the victim gets in bed and goes to sleep...OPEN THE AIR VALVE AND FILL THE INNER TUBE....the inner tube will expand, unfold and throw his a** right out of bed!!!! (Welcome to the Fire Department Probie!!!)

Probably couldn't get away with this one today. Waking up from a deep sleep and falling out of bed (GETTING VIOLENTLY EJECTED FROM MY BED) would generate a SEVERE PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURY that would most assurredly result in a worker's comp claim and a psychological disability retirement...::cry:

[chico.medic]

I've had fun with oxygen tubing..........You run it from the fill valve in the toilet tank to the inside of the molding on the wall. We punched a small hole in the molding and angled the tubing towards the toilet seat. Flush the toilet, you get a jet of water shooting out of the wall. (Especially effective on partners who enjoy Mexican food and require the "double flush" because they are most likely still seated when they soak themselves.)

Another Medic released 1,000 crickets into our station while we were @ post across town. :biggrin:shock:ubt: We diddn't sleep for 2 tours after that.

How many Officers have OC'd their partners door handle?

[CGMK]

[TypeS]

brand new info http://www.johnandkenshow.com/tennie-pierce-purported-prankster/

[PapaBear]

I would not know him if I ran into him in person. If that is him, he best hope the photos don't make the media! Wouldn't that be a kicker? :rolleyes:

[Mac]

If that is in fact him, I hope the photos DO make the media - and I hope his case is appealed and he's made to pay back the judgment.

[CHPGuy]

That guy is in deep s***!

[SB 405]

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled to hold a 4pm news conference
to discuss the proposed $2.7 million settlement with Los Angeles firefighter
Tennie Pierce.

[countersteer]

How many Officers have OC'd their partners door handle?

I haven't done that. But my classmate did OC himself in the locker room. He walked into briefing crying, and told us what happened. We were all dying. What he was doing with his OC out...we still don't know...

[PapaBear]

The press conference was held and Villaraigoza has created an edict to ban any type of hazing within all City of Los Angeles departments. Also, he has vetoed the $2.7 million payout to Pierce and recommended a review of the decision. Seems the other photos have hit the city BIG TIME!!!!!

[SB 405]

I say good luck trying to stop hazing within the fire department.

[G-Man]

I say good luck trying to stop hazing within the fire department.

Yeah, only next time the City will be protected due to the edict and the 2.7 million dollar lawsuit will fall on the shoulders of the people involved. It is a shame that a grown man, like Tennie Peirce, can't take a joke and ruins camaraderie for the whole City of LA.

[bcjack]

Firehouse.com...11-21-2006

ART MARROQUIN
City News Service


Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vetoed the City Council's $2.7 settlement with a black Los Angeles firefighter who said he suffered discrimination and harassment when colleagues played a prank by feeding him dog food.

Photos of firefighter Tennie Pierce playing pranks and hazing other firefighters while on duty have surfaced since the City Council approved the settlement two weeks ago, prompting Villaraigosa to call for a reconsideration on the matter.

"Like most Angelenos, I find these images deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable," Villaraigosa said during a City Hall news conference. "Hazing is reckless, reprehensible and juvenile. Any conduct that demeans or that otherwise makes people feel unwelcome in the workplace will not be tolerated, period."

Villaraigosa also issued an executive directive declaring a "zero- tolerance" policy against hazing in all city departments, just one day before the Fire Commission is set to consider a new anti-harassment policy and disciplinary guidelines within the Fire Department.

"You call it hazing, you call it harassment, whatever you call it, it's going to stop," Villaraigosa said. "We're not going to tolerate that type of activity in the city of Los Angeles."

Pierce's attorney, Genie Harrison, said Villaraigosa's announcement "sends the wrong message," and noted that the photos of her client's questionable behavior appear to be more than 10 years old.

"It is astounding that the mayor would equate the Fire Department tradition of consented-to pranks with the vicious racial harassment of feeding the lone African-American firefighter at Fire Station 5 dog food in his spaghetti," Harrison said. "Even the LAFD itself did not view the incident the way the mayor does."

On Nov. 8, the City Council approved the settlement Pierce, who alleged racial discrimination over a 2004 incident in which his supervisors and other firefighters purchased dog food and didn't stop him from eating it at a Westchester firehouse.

Last week, photos surfaced showing Pierce participating in firehouse pranks, prompting Councilmen Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl to ask their colleagues to reconsider the settlement. Their efforts were rejected on a 6-6 vote, with 10 yes votes need to approve the reconsideration.

Since then, Zine and Rosendahl introduced a series of motions to try to get the settlement reconsidered, which caught Villaraigosa's attention.

"The mayor understands fiscal responsibility in this city, and he also understands the importance of eliminating these sorts of hazing incidents," Zine said. "His veto of the settlement, along with the new executive directive to the entire city family, will create a new and better atmosphere for all employees of the city of Los Angeles."

This was Villaraigosa's first veto of a City Council decision since he became mayor on July 1, 2005. The City Council could override his veto with 10 votes, or agree with his decision and pursue litigation as soon as tomorrow.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who initially opposed reconsidering the settlement, said the whole matter may have turned out differently if the City Council knew about the photos of Pierce.

"I've had a chance to give it more thought, and upon further reflection, it's clear that the right course of action is to reconsider, and I will act accordingly," Weiss said of his change of heart.

Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for the City Attorney's Office, declined to say when the photos of Pierce had surfaced.

"The City Attorney's Office made a comprehensive presentation to the City Council and the mediator," Velasquez said. "We are fully prepared to defend the city in court if the City Council decides to reconsider the settlement and pursue litigation."

Pierce's tale was chronicled in an audit released in January by City Controller Laura Chick's audit, which uncovered a pattern of harassment and discrimination against women and racial minorities working for the Fire Department.

In the audit's wake, the Fire Commission, the Fire Department and organizations representing black, Latino and female firefighters have met regularly to reach agreement on a new code of conduct.

Los Angeles Fire Battalion Chief Kwame Cooper declined to immediately comment on Villaraigosa's announcement.

"I don't think the fire chief has even hard about it yet," Cooper said, declining to comment further....:confused:

[David]

It sounds like this may come to a reasonable conclusion after all.

[bcjack]

firehouse.com


NAACP Leaders Call for Los Angeles Chief's Removal


Updated: 11-22-2006 10:20:07 AM


ART MARROQUIN
City News Service


Civil rights leaders called for the removal of Los Angeles Fire Department Chief William Bamattre today, just hours before the Fire Commission unanimously approved department-wide disciplinary guidelines.

The Fire Commission's recommendations come in response to City Controller Laura Chick's January audit, which found a pattern of harassment and discrimination against women and minorities working for the department.

"The NAACP is calling for the resignation of the fire chief, and we are asking that an outsider be brought in to run the Fire Department because we feel that it is in an uproar," Willis Edwards, a member of the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said during a news conference outside City Hall East.

Bamattre could not be reached for immediate comment.

"It is very clear that the leadership has failed to implement the programs necessary to get rid of racism, sexism, nepotism, discrimination and all forms of harassment within the department," said Jamal Watkins, the NAACP's western regional director. "We are very clearly sending a message to the mayor and the City Council that we will not allow this type of injustice to continue."

Mayoral aide Matt Szabo declined to say whether Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa intends to remove Bamattre, who was hired as fire chief in April 1996 by then-Mayor Richard Riordan. Bamattre was supposed to overhaul the department after taking over for long-time Chief Donald Manning, who abruptly resigned amid discrimination allegations.

"The mayor is committed to institutional and cultural changes within the Los Angeles Fire Department," Szabo said. "The mayor is also committed to the disciplinary guidelines approved today."

Audits released by Chick and the city's Personnel Department 11 months ago found that unequal punishment was meted out for similar offenses, giving the appearance of discrimination or retaliation within the department.

To address the matter, the Fire Commission, the Fire Department and organizations representing black, Latino and female firefighters have met twice a week to hammer out a new code of conduct.

"We are simply not going to tolerate anymore, anybody being able to say that we don't have consistent policies, processes, disciplinary guidelines, or a good complaint system," Fire Commissioner Genethia Hudley-Hayes said.

"These guidelines are going to say to people within the Fire Department that we aren't going to have hazing anymore, we aren't going to have fights anymore, we are not going to tolerate discrimination anymore within the Los Angeles Fire Department," she said.

Under the new measures, firefighters who pressure or force another firefighter into sexual activity -- or retaliates against someone who reports sexual misconduct -- will be recommended for termination on a first offense.

Participating in hazing, unwelcome sexual contact, derogatory statements or displaying inappropriate pictures could result in a 31-day suspension or termination for a first offense.

Abusive language directed at fellow firefighters, supervisors or malicious gossip would result in a reprimand to a 15-day suspension for a first offense.

Capt. Armando Hogan, president of the Centurions, the LAFD's black firefighters' group, said the policy approved today "demystifies the process."

"We don't want somebody going in being at the mercy of the department, not knowing what the discipline is going to be," Hogan said. "Now, you know ahead of time that if you make a choice, you suffer the consequences."

The discipline guidelines were handed down one day after Villaraigosa vetoed a $2.7 million settlement with a black Los Angeles firefighter who claimed he suffered discrimination and harassment.

The NAACP also called on the City Council to override Villaraigosa's veto of the settlement with Tennie Pierce, who said fellow firefighters played a prank by feeding him dog food at a Westchester firehouse.

Villaraigosa's veto of the council's settlement came after photos surfaced of Pierce playing pranks and hazing other firefighters while on duty.

"Like most Angelenos, I find these images deeply disturbing and totally unacceptable," Villaraigosa said yesterday, when he also issued an executive directive declaring a "zero-tolerance" policy against hazing in all city departments.

Pierce's attorney, Genie Harrison, contended that the photos were taken more than 16 years ago and were unrelated to her client's case.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, head of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, said Villaraigosa's veto "makes no sense."

"There is no evidence that the hazing Pierce allegedly engaged in early on in his firefighter career was racially motivated," Hutchinson said. "There is a world of difference between a firefighter being targeted for racial indignities as Pierce was, and the routine firehouse pranks Pierce and others engage in."

On Nov. 8, the City Council approved the settlement with Pierce, who alleged racial discrimination over a 2004 incident in which his supervisors and other firefighters purchased dog food and didn't stop him from eating.

The photos of Pierce, however, prompted Councilmen Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl to ask their colleagues to reconsider the settlement. Their efforts were rejected on a 6-6 vote, with 10 yes votes need to approve the reconsideration.

The council could override Villaraigosa's veto with 10 votes, or agree with his decision and pursue litigation as soon as Tuesday.

"I don't think the council is going to override the mayor's veto, which means it will likely go back to the city attorney," Zine said, adding that he believes Pierce's case rises from a culture of hazing within the Fire Department, not from racial tensions.

In contrast, Councilman Bernard Parks said he will vote to override the mayor's veto in support of the settlement for Pierce. Parks said he believes the city will end up paying more in legal costs and may eventually lose the case in court.

"This is one of those cases you settle," Parks said. "During our discussions with the city attorney, it was thoroughly discussed that Mr. Pierce has a reputation as a prankster, but those instances are not relevant as to whether he was unfairly treated in this one instance."

While Pierce's reputation as a prankster was discussed during closed- door meetings between the council and the City Attorney's Office, it remained unclear when the photographs were uncovered.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo asked the City Council today to waive its confidentiality agreement so he can openly discuss specific evidence regarding the Pierce case.

"While we cannot detail specific evidence that was discussed with the members of the council in closed session due to the confidential nature of the attorney-client relationship, we have requested that the council waive confidentiality to set the record straight," Delgadillo aide Nick Velasquez said.

[SB 405]

NAACP calling for someones head is nothing new. I've heard nothing in the media from this FF since the photos surfaced. I wish this guy would just "man up" to getting caught BS-ing people and move on with his life. Of course I don't know how many FF's would work side by side with this guy anymore.

[PapaBear]

NAACP calling for someones head is nothing new. I've heard nothing in the media from this FF since the photos surfaced. I wish this guy would just "man up" to getting caught BS-ing people and move on with his life. Of course I don't know how many FF's would work side by side with this guy anymore.

According to the media reports he was pensioned out. I don't know if the pension was part of the $2.7 million settlement, but I would imagine that he will not be returning to the workforce anytime soon.

[Mac]

NAACP calling for someones head is nothing new.
Nor is it "new" for them to allege racism when there's no evidence that it was race-related.

It's becoming more and more obvious who the real racists are.

[SB 405]

I can just picture it now.....Big press conference in the works with Jesse Jackson,Al Sharpton and members from The Brotherhood of Islam all present and accounted for standing in the background.

[SB 405]

.......Oh yeah almost forgot. I'm sure Gloria Allred wouldn't want to miss the party.

[SB 405]

NAACP calling for someones head is nothing new.
Nor is it "new" for them to allege racism when there's no evidence that it was race-related.

It's becoming more and more obvious who the real racists are.

It's all about twisting the truth. Need I remind everyone of how the OJ trial went from a guy with DNA found all over his property to did Furman ever use the "N" word.

[bcjack]

L.A. City Council Delays Decision on Discrimination Settlement

LOS ANGELES, November 28, 2006 - After two hours of debate, the City Council delayed a decision Tuesday on whether to override Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's veto of a $2.7 million settlement with a black Los Angeles firefighter who claims he was the target of discrimination.

The 15-member council is expected to take up the matter again Wednesday, when it could override Villaraigosa's veto with 10 votes, or sustain his decision and challenge the case in court.
On Nov. 8, the council approved the settlement with Tennie Pierce, who said he suffered discrimination and harassment when fellow firefighters fed him dog food at a Westchester fire station in 2004.

Villaraigosa vetoed the council's settlement last week after seeing photos of Pierce playing pranks and hazing other firefighters while on duty.

"Yes, we do have what you call hazing, we do have what you call pranks, but there's a certain level you have to go to, and a certain level that has to be stopped," Pierce told the council.

"I was involved in those pictures, I don't deny it, but so were many others," he said. "But those pictures were done in love to guys who were promoted, to guys who had a long stint with the Fire Department."

Pierce's attorney, Genie Harrison, says the photos were taken more than a decade ago and are irrelevant to her client's case.

Pierce's reputation as a prankster was discussed during closed-door meetings between the council and the City Attorney's Office, according to Councilman Bernard Parks, who is leading efforts to override the mayor's veto.

Parks' efforts are backed by the council's two other black members -- Jan Perry and Herb Wesson -- who also want to settle the case with Pierce, rather than pursue the case in court.

"We need to realize that it would be cheaper to stick with our settlement," said Wesson, a close ally of Villaraigosa dating back to their days on the state Assembly.

"It's time for us to come together," Wesson said. "It's time for us to vote to give this man the money he deserves. ... We should all be very frightened if this goes to a court of law."
The photos of Pierce prompted Councilmen Dennis Zine and Bill Rosendahl to ask their colleagues to reconsider the settlement before Villaraigosa exercised his veto power. Their efforts were rejected on a 6-6 vote, with 10 votes needed to approve the reconsideration.

"I'm a gay guy, so I'm sensitive to racism and sexism and I don't tolerate it in any form or any place that I interact," Rosendahl said. "This was a prank, like the pranks they've been doing chronically for years and years and ... frankly, I don't have enough comfort that this was a racist act."

Pierce's treatment conjured up negative images and memories of how African-Americans have been treated unfairly in the United States, according to Geraldine Washington, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"For a white man or a group of whites to intentionally put dog food in the food of an African-American, and later taunt him about it, reinforces negative, condescending attitudes of some that African-Americans are less than human, and that dog food is okay for them to eat," Washington said.

Pierce said he was initially confused by the pranks when he became a rookie firefighter 19 years ago, but eventually came to see it was a rite of passage done "in love" among the firefighters who agreed to the harassment.

Pierce explained that his colleagues at Fire Station No. 5 overstepped their boundaries, however, when they fed him spaghetti laced with dog food without his knowledge.

"I took great offense when nine white members sat in the kitchen, watching me eat it, and not one word was said," Pierce said as his voice broke. "This was wrong, and if four black firefighters did this to a white fireman, I would stand up for the white fireman ... because that's the kind of man I am."


Doesn't this guy know there are WOMEN in the fire service now???? Where does Gloria Allred stand on Pierce's SEXIST STEREOTYPE of FIREMAN?

[bcjack]

Fire Chief Feels Heat
Some want Bamattre fired over LAFD issues


Los Angeles Fire Chief William Bamattre and his command staff came under heavy criticism Monday for failing to halt hazing, harassment and discrimination in the department.

Rank-and-file firefighters' leaders called for Bamattre to be fired, a view echoed by some City Council members, while Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa demanded fundamental changes in the department.

The criticism came during a three-hour City Council committee hearing intended as a follow-up to City Controller Laura Chick's scathing audit issued 10 months ago.

Chick, in her remarks to the committee, faulted Bamattre and his commanders for not enforcing the department's zero-tolerance policy on discriminatory conduct during his 10 years as chief.

"The buck stops at the top. The buck stops at the leadership," Chick said.

"I have to turn to the department management and say, What's gone on that in 12 years we're still in this same spot, and why hasn't it been fixed? And hold that management accountable for the fact that it hasn't."

While Chick stopped short of calling for Bamattre's ouster, the outgoing president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles, Pat McOsker, who represents the rank and file, said he wants the
chief replaced.

"We have a Fire Department that fosters bullying from the top down," McOsker said. "The message comes down from the top on how to behave and treat each other. The only way to fix this is new leadership."

Some council members also took aim at Bamattre, although the job of hiring and firing the chief rests with the mayor.

"There is a serious, serious management problem at the top of this department," said Councilman Jack Weiss, who heads the City Council's Public Safety Committee and is an ally of Villaraigosa.

"I think significant change is needed quickly in this department's leadership."

Villaraigosa's office refused to comment about Bamattre, but said inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.

"The mayor believes that we need to fundamentally change the culture at the Fire Department," spokesman Matt Szabo said.

Bamattre defended his administration and vowed to complete the department overhaul and stay on the job until his planned retirement in February 2008.

"I've heard a lot of people calling for my head," he said, adding, "There is no person who can ... implement these changes better than I can because I have nothing to gain by these changes."

Criticism has intensified since the City Council approved a $2.7 million payout to a black firefighter who filed a racial-discrimination suit after his colleagues and supervisors put dog food in his spaghetti as a prank.

The settlement sparked controversy and Villaraigosa vetoed the agreement, sending the proposal back to the council for another vote, which is scheduled for today.

In the past several weeks, the City Council has approved spending nearly $1 million to settle three firefighter lawsuits alleging age discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment. And the city could end up paying more to settle a dozen lawsuits and claims filed by firefighters alleging racial discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation for reporting misbehavior.

Chick said the settlements show the severity of the problem.

"If we knew 10 months ago when the audit came out that hazing still took place within the department, what did the department management - the paid, professional, everyday management - do to lower the city's liability?

"The worst use of taxpayer dollars is to be spending it on payouts, settlements and lawsuits that could have been prevented."


While Bamattre said he accepted responsibility for the department's hazing and harassment problems, he also said he hasn't had the authority to change inappropriate behavior.

Under the City Charter, the chief cannot discipline workers nor can he fire problem employees unless a board of chiefs recommends termination.

Now the LAFD and the civilian Fire Commission are developing a professional standards bureau to investigate complaints. The civilian panel adopted guidelines last week that could result in a minimum one-month suspension or termination for harassment, hazing or discrimination.

Commission President Dalila Sotelo said Bamattre has been helpful and active in department reforms over the past 10 months, and she expects the chief to carry out the board's plans.

"The chief has been a good partner in acknowledging opportunities for improvement," she told City Council members. "The reality is that accountability starts with the chief and we are tasked with holding him accountable and holding his staff accountable for implementation of action plan."

In January, Chick released an audit that found that weak leadership and a faulty disciplinary system encouraged rampant harassment, hazing and low morale in the LAFD. Her audit followed whistle-blower complaints and Daily News reports about cases of bad behavior directed toward women, African-American and rookie firefighters.

[SB 405]

I watched the Chief on the hot seat yesterday on the news addressing city council members. I stand by my comment I made a few weeks ago about trying stop the hazing within the LAFD....it ain't gonna happen. I talked to a friend of mine in the fire department and he said hazing happens more at the slower stations but every new "boot" get his or her share of it.

[not5150]

If you can't take the gentle heat from your colleagues, how the hell are you going to deal with the unpredictable, scorching heat from a real fire??

[PapaBear]

The named firefighter testified before the Los Angeles City Council yesterday and cried as he spoke of his disgrace at eating dog food. Yet, he smiled and spoke that the acts, in which, he is pictured hazing a white firefighter was "done out of love." It is okay for him to shave the groin area of a white firefighter "out of love" but it is not okay for others to feed him dog food as a prank. Come on, give us a break! He is a pathetic mercenary out for money and a plush retirement over what? Get real!!!!

[PapaBear]

The named firefighter testified before the Los Angeles City Council yesterday and cried as he spoke of his disgrace at eating dog food. Yet, he smiled and spoke that the acts, in which, he is pictured hazing a white firefighter were "done out of love." It is okay for him to shave the groin area of a white firefighter "out of love" but it is not okay for others to feed (him) dog food as a prank. Come on, give us a break! He is a pathetic mercenary out for money and a plush retirement over what? Get real!!!!

[SB 405]

The named firefighter testified before the Los Angeles City Council yesterday and cried as he spoke of his disgrace at eating dog food. Yet, he smiled and spoke that the acts, in which, he is pictured hazing a white firefighter was "done out of love." It is okay for him to shave the groin area of a white firefighter "out of love" but it is not okay for others to feed him dog food as a prank. Come on, give us a break! He is a pathetic mercenary out for money and a plush retirement over what? Get real!!!!

I watched a replay of the meeting last night on a local cable channel. This guy should stick to firefighting because he ain't cuttin' it as an actor. Then his wife stepped up to the mic to have her say. The first thing I noticed is she better learn how to read her pre-written statement a little better. She then went on to say how her kids don't want to attend school anymore because all the kids tease them about her Father eating dog food. I loved listening to retired LAPD Motor Cop Dennis Zine have his say (my kinda guy) when he said in his opinion this had nothing at all to do with race and the city should not overturn the veto.

[SB 405]

THIS JUST IN....City Council voted 9-6 to not pay the 2.7 mil. I'm sure the next move will be a trial in the courts.

[SB 405]

I asked an LA City Firefighter I chat with if he thought it strange to "haze" a fellow Firefighter with over 15 years on the job,this was his response which I found interesting......



"He was a Firefighter with about 18-19 years on, and yeah no one is immune from hazing although most guys with time on are left alone. The reason Pierce was messed with is because he was the King of "Turdsters" of course now we know that he could dish it out but couldn't take it"....

P.S. he also lied about his NFL career, he only played college ball...
Woof, woof,

(he was actually a fun guy, a lazy dude but fun, I don't know what happened to him)