After a litany of complaints from Black firefighters, nine New York City firefighters have been suspended for allegedly sharing and posting racist messages and memes, reports the AP. Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the nine firefighters will be on leave without pay anywhere between a few days to six months. One officer is expected to depart the force after the suspension, and three other fire department officers were reprimanded. Some of the racist posts included jokes about the murder of George Floyd and using a hose to spray protesters. Despite being one of the most “severe punishments ever handed down in the history of the FDNY,” as a department spokesperson told the New York Times, some Black firefighters don’t feel the punishment fits the magnitude of the crime, as systemic issues of racism, sexism, and harassment allegedly run rampant. Nigro acknowledged the department’s shortcomings and the need for reform, saying they “have to make them feel as if they belong. And in some cases, [the FDNY] failed.”
