Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A San Antonio firefighter has been suspended for 90 days over a social media post last August that stated “F…. the police”. Christopher Johnson was suspended in October, but the matter was brought to public light today by KSAT Channel 12.
KSAT quoted the post as saying:
- From a place of disgust and shame, as someone who has only had positive interactions with the police – privilege – someone who [h]as family and friends that are cops, who works with cops, I say F— THE POLICE. F— the departments, and administrations, training officers, unions, and individual cops who despite everything, all the scrutiny, all the calls for change, still shoot and murder Black men and women and/or protect those who do. F— the police who have terrorized and traumatized and injured demonstrators and protesters that are speaking out against the same abuse and killings of Black men and women.
Fire Chief Charles Hood initially suspended Johnson indefinitely. However, after Chief Hood and Johnson met, the suspension was reduced to 90 days, which began October 9, 2020. Johnson, who is white, made the post two days after police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The incident drew immediate comparisons to a San Antonio Fire Department case from earlier this year that resulted in the termination of Firefighter Lauran Bienek Liska. Liska reportedly ridiculed President Obama suggesting that he looked like a monkey, and shared a screen shot suggesting it was permissible to run over Black Lives Matter protestors.
In comparing the two cases, Chief Hood reportedly told Johnson: “Your’s was against an institution, her’s was racist.” More on the story.
