Comments

1. bertie wrote:

   Maybe. I don’t know. There is a lot of hazing that goes on in organizations (especially male dominated ones). Anyone in a frat or who has played sports can attest to this. Was he new to the unit? Was this above and beyond the normal hazing? Were jokes of this nature common? Had other non-minority firefighters been the butt of similar “jokes.” The article seems low on the facts to make an informed opinion. But since the city paid over 2 million to settle, there must be some unfavorable facts against the fire department at play.

   Posted 10 Nov 2006 at 5:25 pm ¶

2. john mcdonald wrote:

   here’s a copy of a reply i sent to one especially enlightened blogger re: Tennie Pierce hitting the “politically correct lottery…”

   Jennifer,

   Just read your Tennie Pierce posting. Such insight for someone only twenty!

   Now for some “context” on the settlement not covered in TV blurbs or on KFI. We’ll start with the press release from Mr. Pierce’s lawyers. You were probably too busy scanning Alpo photos onto your blog to actually do some “reporting,” so here goes:

   It turns out a few months prior to the dog-food incident, one of the “participants” directed some particularly nasty language towards another black firefighter. Use your imagination here. As a Latina, Jennifer, I’m sure you’ve had a few racist words thrown your way. Make you feel all gooey inside? Here’s where the whole “context” thing starts to take shape. Maybe that firefighter with the big vocabulary didn’t like black folks to start with.

   So one day Tennie Pierce comes in from a long shift, he sits down to eat, and suddenly all his co-workers are laughing at him. Oh, and at the time, Pierce just happens to be the only black working at the station.

   Jump back to 1994.

   Ring a bell, Jennifer? Granted, you were eight at the time and there were Beanie Babies to consider, but that was the year the LA City Council released an audit citing – among other things – racism and sexism running rampant on the LAFD. Pretty much you name the “ism” and the Department had it covered.

   There was outrage, a call for reform, promises of swift and thorough changes by the Department. And then something like eleven years passed.

   This past January yet another audit report was released on the LAFD. In it, City Controller Laura Chick basically said nothing had changed and all those pesky little “isms” still remained. Boring stuff, really, unless of course you’re a fireman. Also included in the report was the statistic that 87% of African-American respondents had either “experienced or had direct knowledge of racial discrimination on the job.” Now sure, Jennifer, that number sounds high. But the other way to look at it, I suppose, is that 13% of blacks didn’t have an issue, and we’ve got to start somewhere, right?

   Point three: the LAFD found that the participants and supervisors engaged in a “collective attempt” to cover-up the dog-food incident. Kind of a biggie, that one, so I’ll say it once more with feeling: the LA Fire Department came to that conclusion, Jennifer, not the LA City Council. Notice the distinction? City Council, elected by the taxpayers, merely acted on the facts that were presented to them.

   Lastly, there’s the notion of the incident’s long-term effects on Mr. Pierce – and its aftermath – and the pattern of destructive behavior within the LAFD that fostered them.

   Dennis Zine, the Council’s lone dissenter, states that there is no visible damage to Tennie Pierce, no physical harm we can see. I’ll admit a lost limb or lazy eye is much easier to quantify in terms of dollars and cents than, say, psychological damage. But does Zine have a point here? He did serve thirty-plus years on the LAPD, an institution long-noted for its sensitivity and valor. There are hours of video footage to prove it.

   Instead, let’s consult someone in the medical field. I know, I know, that darn “context” word again.

   Sure, we could cite the UCSC professor’s testimony on the “prank’s” long-term psychological harm. We could delve into the history of racism, bring up slavery, and how really really inconvenient the idea of integration was – and still is – to some people in this country.

   Seriously, though. Yaaaaawn! Why not ask you, Jennifer? You’re the one studying Developmental Psychology. Surely you’ve heard of PTSD. Wait, you’re not a Tom Cruise fan, are you? Anyway, experts like you apply it to all sorts of charming situations: women mistaken for punching bags, ungrateful war vets, whiners toiling under touchy-feely bosses.

   And so assuming a person is blessed enough to fit into one of these or maybe a few hundred other categories, how exactly would that toxicity manifest itself? Internally, I mean. Forget the easy-out of a limp or stuttering or a wheelchair.

   Would it keep you up at night? When you do sleep, would it give you nightmares? Make you short with people? Less trusting? Someone who grew up here in LA and dreamed of becoming a firefighter so he could actually make a difference in the world and suddenly now that same man – all six-foot-five of him, the former football star – he hates to leave the house?

   Imagine for a moment co-workers barking at you. Over and over again, day after day. To your face, behind you back, in front of supervisors, even. Supervisors that play along with the “joke” and prefer to sweep the whole thing under the rug. It’s all there in the testimony, Jennifer.

   This is all fun and games, right? Get a sense of humor. So you find the occasional can of dog-food in the back of your truck. So what if people bring the incident up in front of your twelve-year-old daughter and she wonders why they call you “Dog-food Boy.” Can’t you take a joke? You’re a firefighter, you’re a hero. Relax. Trust these guys, they’re your brothers.

   It’s not like your life is in their hands.

   John McDonald
   john@mesafurnishings.com

   Posted 12 Nov 2006 at 11:51 pm ¶

3. kim wrote:

   John–

   Who are you? I am thrilled to meet you.

   Context is a — , ain’t it?

   (Are you familiar with Darius James’ work? It has been years, but, whoa, you threw me back in time to a brilliant satirist/playwright from my other life).

   Brilliant.

   Posted 15 Nov 2006 at 4:17 am ¶

4. Robert Starker wrote:

   Regarding the comments written by John McDonald: you have written a great deal, but it seems that you don’t know what you are writing about. Having been a firefighter for several years with another, larger, Los Angeles County agency, the climate within the LAFD is much more different than your poorly imformed quips would lead us all to believe. There are problems, that’s true, and I don’t think that many would disagree. The biggest problem with the matter in question is that hazing and harassment are a two-way street. Mr. Pierce engaged in many incidents of hazing, many of them more extreme than the one he allegedly was a victim of, and accordingly, his claim seems rather null and void. I am dissapointed at another incident of “racial intolerance” being turned into a payday by someone who is known to be an instigator of the very same conduct he claims to be a victim of.

   Your ranting screed is entertaining, but factually limited. As your email address seems to state, your background in furniture sales does not really make you an expert on the LAFD or city politics.

   Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 9:51 pm ¶

5. kim wrote:

   Starker,

   Who did the investigation that ultimately decided Pierce was the victim? I would think that the LAFD investigation – surely there was one, as well as any executed by or under the auspices of the city council would surely have yielded enough support for your argument, if there was support.

   How could it not come to light?

   Posted 21 Nov 2006 at 10:50 pm ¶

6. john mcdonald wrote:

   robert,

   if you actually care about the facts of the case and are interested in hearing them, contact me personally. i will tell you my connection to the case, and then you can apologize to everyone here. deal? oh, and let me know if you need a dining table.

   to kim: thanks for the nice words.

   now robert, hold onto you socks, these are the facts of the case that came out today at genie harrison’s press conference.

   keep in mind, the case never rested solely on the fact that pierce was “pranked” and the question of whether or not the act was , in itself, racist. the case hinged on 1) a cover-up by the LAFD involving the investigation and 2) allowing hostile behavior to be perpetrated against mr. pierce in the weeks and months that followed. in legal terms, it’s called “intentional infliction of emotional distress and retaliation.”

   according to employment law in CA, robert, an employer is responsible for maintaining a healthy work environment. those damning audits in 1994 and 2006 suggest the LAFD is anything but disneyland. chief bamattre said as much, agreeing with the findings.

   some points now, and keep in mind this is from sworn depositions:

   1) arevalo, who fed pierce the dogfood, used racist language with another black FF months prior

   2) arevalo had serious problems with another black FF at the station, a woman. real treasure, this guy

   3) a captain bought the dogfood

   4) a black battalion chief wrote the initial disciplinary reports re: both white captains involved. the reports somehow disappeared. new, altered reports were written by a white supervsior and the black battallion chief’s name was added without his authorization.

   this is a huge point, robert, do you want to take a moment to go back and read that one again? oh, and the LAFD itself came to this conclusion, not some outside agency.

   5) all the involved FFs met for a private breakfast to discuss how to handle the incident. first time ever they all met at one time outside the station, and the only guy not invited was the new FF, a black guy.

   6) when pierce initially tried to come back on the job, the only station they’d allow him to go was the same place – #5 – where the incident occurred

   robert, the LAFD found that there was an effort to cover-up the incident. they came to that conclusion themselves and admitted it on the record.

   additionally, numerous incidents took place where guys rode pierce mercilessly, even in front of supervisors. all this is well-documented.

   finally, while the photos do not look good, the fact is they are not the smoking-gun KFI would like you to believe. hazing was and is standard practice in the LAFD, and the current photos of pierce’s conduct are more than 10 years old. each case is judged on its own merits; just because pierce pranked someone else does not automatically discredit his claim. in sworn testimony, all the other FFs at #5 said that he did nothing to any of them that was related to this “prank.” LAFD management also found that nothing tennie pierce had done in the past had anything to do with him being fed dogfood. it was completely irrelevant.

   on a side note: i hear there are several “choice” photos of LAFD brass about to come out. stay tuned!!!

   finally, let me ask you this, robert: isn’t it true that one of the biggest “unwritten” rules in FDs, at least in the LAFD, is you do not mess with a fireman’s food? cause there’s lots of testimony from your “brothers” stating that.

   well, all for now. i’m feeling pretty good about myself. looking forward to hearing from a certain someone.

   john mcdonald
   john@mesafurnishings.com

   Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 2:57 am ¶

7. Aggravated wrote:

   Tax payers pay a black man because of a prank?no it is because he is black and nothing more, this is as bad as sueing for hot coffee being spilled on yourself. People now a days sue for anything and everything , and as long as pay days are being paid out things of his nature will never stop. I have seen the pictures of said man involved in what appears to be worse pranks than some dog food being fed to him. This is just another case of someone using race as to collect a check. Hey I am over weight maybe I should sue Mcdonalds because their booths are not comfortable for me to sit in and eat my big mac. the worse part about my last sentence is that I would probably have a case.

   Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 2:03 pm ¶

8. Robert Starker wrote:

   Aggravated: Right on.

   McDonald: Again, clouding the issue with baseless, and incorrect statements. This is about getting a massive handout from the City and nothing more. Pierce in no way should get paid for blowing the whistle on something that HE HAS CONDONED for his ENTIRE career with the LAFD. You are wrong, but it’s your poorly constructed opinions and lazily researched facts that create this overly sensitive environment to exist in the first place.

   Lastly, thank you for the offer of a dining room table, but I already have one. I had to work many shifts as a paramedic in some bad areas of this city to get it too, not just get a payout from the city because I couldn’t take what I dished out to others.

   Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 3:36 pm ¶

9. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

   There is some backlash to this case. A link to the story below is going to go up tomorrow:
   http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fire22nov22,0,89629.story?coll=la-home-headlines
   or
   http://tinyurl.com/y45cwz

   Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 3:46 pm ¶

10. john mcdonald wrote:

    Robert,

    Again, still waiting for a personal email. Find me, friend. As I said, I’m connected to the case. Care for some follow-up?

    Posted 22 Nov 2006 at 7:29 pm ¶

11. Jay wrote:

    l find it hard that Mr Mcdonald gives such expert insight on the going on’s that happen in a firehouse himself not being a firefighter, as a firefighter of 36 years let me give you a saying that they have in every firehouse in the country (seeing that Mr Pierce was involved in some pranks himself) firefighters love to say “if you like to throw then you better learn to catch”

    Posted 25 Nov 2006 at 1:46 am ¶

12. Jay wrote:

    here is some thing else l found for Mr Mcdonald to read, l can safely assume that Mr Mcdonald will not agree

    note: larry elder is black and a talk show host on kabc-radio 790/ he leans more libertarian than liberal.

    ——————————————————————
    Black firefighter a disgrace
    By Larry Elder
    ——————————————————————

    Posted: November 23, 2006
    1:00 a.m. Eastern

    Tennie Pierce, a black 19-year veteran firefighter, recently won a $2.7 million settlement from the Los Angeles City Council.

    Here’s the story. Following a firehouse volleyball game, fellow firefighters laced Pierce’s spaghetti with dog food to “humble” him. Pierce, who calls himself “the Big Dog,” took a few bites, saw three co-conspirator firefighters – two whites, one Latino – laughing, and demanded to know why the chuckling.

    Pierce, after learning that the firefighters – in an undoubtedly good-natured way – placed dog food in his spaghetti, called the prank “racist”! He hired a lawyer, found an “expert” witness who associated the consumption of dog food with “300 years” of discrimination against blacks, and successfully settled the case with the city.

    (Column continues below)

    Los Angeles Times reporter Sandy Banks, in an article about the award, failed to mention a few salient facts: that Pierce somehow managed to survive on the force for almost 20 years; that fellow firefighters referred to Pierce as a “turd stirrer” – meaning he routinely pulled pranks on others; that the 6-foot 5-inch Pierce often referred to himself as “the Big Dog”; that the incident was apparently a reaction to a volleyball game won by Pierce during which he repeatedly urged to his teammates to “feed the Big Dog” by throwing the ball to him; and that, in the frat boy tradition of many firefighters, his co-workers likely fed him dog food as a display of affection, knowing that, after all, Pierce had pulled pranks on many others during his long career – photos of which (including Pierce’s involvement in the shaving of the pubic hairs of a fellow firefighter) later appeared on the Internet.

    Days before I read about the firefighter’s award, my 91-year-old dad and I watched a movie called “Proud.” Narrated by the late, great Ossie Davis, the movie dramatized the experience of black sailors aboard the USS Mason during World War II. The ship became the only black-manned ship that actually saw combat. As a destroyer escort, it shepherded Allied convoys through German sub-filled waters, taking risks even the vaunted English Navy refused, deeming the mission too treacherous. Indeed, black sailors welcomed the assignment to the ship because, during this military-segregated era, they wished to prove themselves by seeing actual combat rather than engaging in “menial” labor.

    In one scene, a German sub launched a torpedo at the USS Mason, but the highly skilled blacks – thought too dumb to master hi-tech equipment including sonar detection – skillfully evaded the torpedo. They then counter-attacked by launching depth charges. The men of the USS Mason, despite their heroics, never received a commendation, even though their commander sent a letter to Washington, urging recognition for these brave sailors. As a result of lobbying by the grandson of one of the sailors described in “Proud,” President Clinton honored the surviving crewmen during a long-delayed ceremony. Finally, the USS Mason crew received their rightful commendation for bravery and sacrifice.

    It’s difficult to describe the feeling of honor and pride I felt as I watched my dad watching the movie. Every five minutes I looked at my dad, as he watched the movie with his typically stoic expression. My dad, you see, served as a cook during the war, earning the rank of staff sergeant. He spent time on Guam as soldiers prepared for an assault on the island of Japan, a mission aborted, of course, because of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He, too, like many black soldiers, received little recognition for his contribution. My dad once told me he enlisted as a Marine in 1943 because “it seemed to me that the Marines were all about action. And I wanted it.”

    After my dad and I watched “Proud,” he said it reminded him of a wartime story – a story he never told me. “Son,” he said, “we black enlistees had just gone through training at Montford Point, North Carolina. We gathered to hear a speech – supposedly inspirational – given by a white major. The officer said, ‘You know, I traveled all over the world. But I only realized that we were truly at war when I came home and saw you people wearing our uniforms.’” Insulted, my dad said he and every Marine stood in a silent protest of the major’s blatantly racist remark.

    This brings us back to Mr. “Rin Tin” Tennie Pierce. Enjoy your $2.7 million. When the next Veterans Day comes around, think about how your bonanza trivializes the grit, determination and honor with which black men and women withstood insult, degradation and abuse during Jim Crow America. They stood tall and demonstrated by word and deed that black men and women – like my dad – considered themselves Americans, not African-Americans, who only wanted an opportunity to show their ability.

    Your crass, manipulative use of the race-card-for-money insults countless men and women who endured indignities, marched and died, to provide you the right to work as a firefighter – an opportunity historically denied to qualified black men and women.

    You, sir, are a disgrace.

    Posted 25 Nov 2006 at 2:12 am ¶

13. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

    “larry elder is black and a talk show host on kabc-radio 790/ he leans more libertarian than liberal.”

    jay let’s get real. Larry Elder is right up there with Clarence Thomas and Ward Connerly as one of the country’s leading black conservatives.

    Posted 25 Nov 2006 at 8:50 am ¶

14. Robert Starker wrote:

    Jay: Right on. YOU get it, my friend.

    Carmen: Get real! Why must you IGNORE what is going on with this issue, and continue to plead some complely innane side of the case? This guy is as much an arch character as he is trying to paint the Firefighters that gave him the dog food! I am totally mistified as to why you won’t at least acknowledge this. He is notorious for his antics, even outside his own department.

    McDonald: I am not your friend, and I have no idea why you are under the impression that I want to connect with you outside this forum. If you have such illuminating information as it relates to this issue, I encourage you to air it here.

    Posted 27 Nov 2006 at 2:29 am ¶