jimnyc
10-09-2017, 10:09 AM
Or is it only racist when someone wants it to be? I don't get it. We eat watermelon all the time here, my wife loves it. Sure, if someone ADDS something racist to it, whether verbal or physical, then of course it's demeaning and racist.
But this guy doesn't appear to have done any of that. If the station was a majority black firefighters, and he was a rookie on probation, why in the world would he purposely be racist towards them? Apparently there was nothing said, nor anything physical, done to believe it was a racist act. But a Detroit firefighter apparently lost his job over one, for bringing it in as a gift.
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Detroit Firefighter Fired for Bringing ‘Racially Insensitive’ Watermelon to Work
A Detroit firefighter was fired before he officially began his first day on the job for bringing a watermelon to work.
Robert Pattison, 41, introduced himself to his fellow firefighters at Engine 55 at the corner of Joy and Southfield in Detroit by bringing a welcome gift, WJBK reported.
Second Battalion Chief Shawn McCarty calls this welcome gift “a tradition” for Engine 55’s firefighters.
“It’s not mandatory, it’s voluntary,” he said. “You come in bearing gifts. The usual gift is doughnuts, but you are allowed to bring whatever you want to bring in.”
Pattison, who was a probationary firefighter, decided to stand out from the crowd and bring a watermelon with a pink bow on top.
Some black firefighters were reportedly offended by Pattison’s gesture since 90 percent of the firefighters at Engine 55 are black.
“When you get your first detail at a firehouse you pretty much know what you are getting yourself into,” said Patrick Trout. “So you would have to say it was probably a bad call.”
McCarty said that some people at the firehouse claim it is “racially insensitive” to bring a watermelon to a firehouse.
Pattison argued that he did not bring in the watermelon as a joke and had no intention of offending his colleagues.
Rest - http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/08/detroit-firefighter-fired-bringing-racially-insensitive-watermelon-work/
But this guy doesn't appear to have done any of that. If the station was a majority black firefighters, and he was a rookie on probation, why in the world would he purposely be racist towards them? Apparently there was nothing said, nor anything physical, done to believe it was a racist act. But a Detroit firefighter apparently lost his job over one, for bringing it in as a gift.
--
Detroit Firefighter Fired for Bringing ‘Racially Insensitive’ Watermelon to Work
A Detroit firefighter was fired before he officially began his first day on the job for bringing a watermelon to work.
Robert Pattison, 41, introduced himself to his fellow firefighters at Engine 55 at the corner of Joy and Southfield in Detroit by bringing a welcome gift, WJBK reported.
Second Battalion Chief Shawn McCarty calls this welcome gift “a tradition” for Engine 55’s firefighters.
“It’s not mandatory, it’s voluntary,” he said. “You come in bearing gifts. The usual gift is doughnuts, but you are allowed to bring whatever you want to bring in.”
Pattison, who was a probationary firefighter, decided to stand out from the crowd and bring a watermelon with a pink bow on top.
Some black firefighters were reportedly offended by Pattison’s gesture since 90 percent of the firefighters at Engine 55 are black.
“When you get your first detail at a firehouse you pretty much know what you are getting yourself into,” said Patrick Trout. “So you would have to say it was probably a bad call.”
McCarty said that some people at the firehouse claim it is “racially insensitive” to bring a watermelon to a firehouse.
Pattison argued that he did not bring in the watermelon as a joke and had no intention of offending his colleagues.
Rest - http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/10/08/detroit-firefighter-fired-bringing-racially-insensitive-watermelon-work/