The FDNY had some good stats last year, but none relating to diversity. Today, a federal judge ruled that the force’s hiring procedures intentionally discriminate against blacks and Hispanics. He said that for decades people of color have been systematically excluded, and called the practice “a persistent stain on the Fire Department’s record."
Judge Nicholas Garaufis, the same judge who last year decried FDNY hiring exams, cited the written exams used to screen and rank applicants as part of a racist system used to maintain a mostly-white force. According to NBC, the FDNY examinations were found in violation of civil rights laws. The case was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of the Vulcan Society, the organization that represents black firefighters in New York.
Out of 11,500 FDNY firefighters, only a scant 350 are black. A spokesman for the Vulcan Society told AP he’s hoping procedures will be changed in the near future.
