Comments on: Black Fireman Served Dog Food Gets $2.7M

L.A. Firefighter Sued After Getting Spaghetti Laced With Dog Food From Fellow Firefighters

[vonnie14-2009]

Have you eaten Dog Food before, how do you know he wasn't hurt. It makes me physically ill to think about eating any animals food. Furthermore, Pride is what makes a person strong, without it, what kind of human would you be?

[t_hegstrom]

Wow! is right. This is all about a poorly execute hazing or practical joke. Don't know if there was a pattern with this group and individual. A pattern would point to something else. By appearance, this was hazing with the intent to knock one individual down a notch because of a previous boisterous act of the individual. Yes, the better approach would've been to feed the individual the regular meal in a clean/new/sanitary dog bowl. That would've made the act apparent and would've been abundantly obvious to all what was happening. This was simply a hazing/practical joke gone bad. Not very bad, just bad. The individual was not harmed, other than his pride. Yes, people should've/could've been disciplined. People that work as closely as firefighters (any type of prolonged team/group activity) do tend to this type of mischievous activity. If this was the only incident, then this guy carried it way too far. With that said, my comments are based solely on the information provided in the article.

[sadiesmama]

Does anyone else wonder why the city is responsible for the actions of several of its employees playing a pranking following a volleyball game? Maybe if the government allowed more idiots working for them to man up for their own mistakes they would be less likely to make them.

[hatsgal]

for the multiple postings. I thought that my posting didn't go through (it seemed to be stuck). But perhaps that was divine intervention to drive a point home. No wonder people in other countries despise us. We don't treat our own people right in this country. We have opportunities that other countries wish that they had, but we don't do what we should and could do to make this country what it has the potential to be. Instead we are STILL busy tearing each other down. Suddenly another country doesn't sound so bad to live in.

[dob01225]

AS LONG AS YOU ARE WHITE, YOU WILL NEVER SEE A RACE ISSUE.(TRY CHANGING COLORS) BLACKS DO NOT WANT YOUR PITY (YOU DON'T HAVE PITY TO GIVE.) jUST STOP DEHUMANIZING OTHER RACES WITH YOUR STUPID TRASHY ACTS. WHY SHOULD CASE BE TOSSED? WAS MACDONALD HOT COFFEE OR OTHER STUPID CASES TOSSED? NO,THEY INVOLVED WHITES,(SLAP ON THE HAND ISSUES). EMPLOYMENT IS ANOTHER ISSUE,(DON'T GIVE ME ANYTHING), IF I AM QUALIFIED, GET OUT OF MY WAY.

[hatsgal]

WOW!! After reading the comments of the majority of those posting comments about the dog food incidenet, I am compelled to realize that this country is still full of insensitive people. Obviously, people are willing to excuse what happened. More than that, most of the'accepting' comments seem to be from those other than black folk. While I am sympathetic about the plight of the elderly in America, that does not give anyone the right to knowingly feed dog food to any unsuspecting human being, regardless of that person's supposed arrogance. It's not only petty, but sickening. And for anyone to make comments as if it's no big deal is atrocious! Come on, fairminded Americans; where is the justice in doing what they did? I think that all parties involved should've been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If it had been the other way around, a lynch mob would've been out for blood. After all, isn't that what happened to Emmett Till, the young boy lynched for alledgedly 'whistling at a white woman' back in the '50s? Oh excuse me, this is the 21st century, year 2006; a kinder, gentler America, huh? I think not. If we can't get it together here on earth, how can we even hope to be together in the afterlife? Oh yeah, I am an African-American (Black) woman making my voice known. I can hardly wait to read the comments that will surely come. May God have mercy on us all.

[hatsgal]

WOW!! After reading the comments of the majority of those posting comments about the dog food incidenet, I am compelled to realize that this country is still full of insensitive people. Obviously, people are willing to excuse what happened. More than that, most of the'accepting' comments seem to be from those other than black folk. While I am sympathetic about the plight of the elderly in America, that does not give anyone the right to knowingly feed dog food to any unsuspecting human being, regardless of that person's supposed arrogance. It's not only petty, but sickening. And for anyone to make comments as if it's no big deal is atrocious! Come on, fairminded Americans; where is the justice in doing what they did? I think that all parties involved should've been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If it had been the other way around, a lynch mob would've been out for blood. After all, isn't that what happened to Emmett Till, the young boy lynched for alledgedly 'whistling at a white woman' back in the '50s? Oh excuse me, this is the 21st century, year 2006; a kinder, gentler America, huh? I think not. If we can't get it together here on earth, how can we even hope to be together in the afterlife? Oh yeah, I am an African-American (Black) woman making my voice known. I can hardly wait to read the comments that will surely come. May God have mercy on us all.

[hatsgal]

WOW!! After reading the comments of the majority of those posting comments about the dog food incidenet, I am compelled to realize that this country is still full of insensitive people. Obviously, people are willing to excuse what happened. More than that, most of the'accepting' comments seem to be from those other than black folk. While I am sympathetic about the plight of the elderly in America, that does not give anyone the right to knowingly feed dog food to any unsuspecting human being, regardless of that person's supposed arrogance. It's not only petty, but sickening. And for anyone to make comments as if it's no big deal is atrocious! Come on, fairminded Americans; where is the justice in doing what they did? I think that all parties involved should've been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If it had been the other way around, a lynch mob would've been out for blood. After all, isn't that what happened to Emmett Till, the young boy lynched for alledgedly 'whistling at a white woman' back in the '50s? Oh excuse me, this is the 21st century, year 2006; a kinder, gentler America, huh? I think not. If we can't get it together here on earth, how can we even hope to be together in the afterlife? Oh yeah, I am an African-American (Black) woman making my voice known. I can hardly wait to read the comments that will surely come. May God have mercy on us all.

[vonnie14-2009]

2007, will WHITE americans ever change??? Call that a racist question if you like, I still want to know the answer, from a honest white american.

Vonnie

[hatsgal]

WOW!! After reading the comments of the majority of those posting comments about the dog food incidenet, I am compelled to realize that this country is still full of insensitive people. Obviously, people are willing to excuse what happened. More than that, most of the'accepting' comments seem to be from those other than black folk. While I am sympathetic about the plight of the elderly in America, that does not give anyone the right to knowingly feed dog food to any unsuspecting human being, regardless of that person's supposed arrogance. It's not only petty, but sickening. And for anyone to make comments as if it's no big deal is atrocious! Come on, fairminded Americans; where is the justice in doing what they did? I think that all parties involved should've been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If it had been the other way around, a lynch mob would've been out for blood. After all, isn't that what happened to Emmett Till, the young boy lynched for alledgedly 'whistling at a white woman' back in the '50s? Oh excuse me, this is the 21st century, year 2006; a kinder, gentler America, huh? I think not. If we can't get it together here on earth, how can we even hope to be together in the afterlife? Oh yeah, I am an African-American (Black) woman making my voice known. I can hardly wait to read the comments that will surely come. May God have mercy on us all.

[bigsk8fan]

It is easy to take the racial hatred of this out of context because no one reported the actual court transcripts. Historically, going back to pre-civil war era, there is a lot of racial hatred to be seen in the action of feeding a black person animal or dog food. This is a typical of dehumanizing a person. This type of thing can be traced almost every year for 250 years!

Additionally, I suspect that most of the $2.7 mio is really punitive damages for the outrageousness of the act itself.

It is hard to see anyone who defends the fire department's actions or the court award itself as anything other than a complete racist.

[peaceforusa]

It is ok for our elderly to eat dogfood because they can't afford to buy real food, but this guy gets 2.7 mil for taking two bites. That money could have fed alot of elderly folk some good food, but that is ok, just keep playing the race card and collecting millions so your family can eat well while some grandparents starve to death. Oh..But I guess it never occured to anyone that elderly have to eat dogfood to survive because the media would never print something like that, but discrimination over a prank, well that is real important! Right there on top!

[militwrker]

For those of you that take the position that another black man is crying foul, you're idiots. If they wanted to play a joke on the "Big Dog" why not put real spaghetti in a dog dish. But feeding a man dog food was over the top. Does it deserve a 2.7 million dollar pay out? No. The pattern of harrassement is what drove the big pay day.

[dnc1972]

Good for him and kudos to his lawyers! If I were them I would play the race card too. Noone will learn from this until their department and city get sick and tired to paying out such large sums of money as a result of a person or groups lack of self control. So a guy gets big headed, big deal. There is NEVER an excuse to be treated inhumanly. As long as people continue to be mistreated, I hope to see more lawsuits like this!

[busyblonde]

people are cold and stupid and do not realize the consequences of their actions.

[lochlan-2009]

The race card is played again at the tax payers expense. Secretly fed dog food=$2.5million, sign me up. Actually put me down for two helpings, please.

[gunnerv1]

Remember, this is taking place on the Liberal "Left" Coast and inside Union Shops. I thought that only the Republicans and Conservatives did this kind of thing. Oh, I'm sorrym my "Bushisms" are showing.

[nakoni1]

Where was the racial harassment?

Having read the story 3 times looking for racial harassment, I never saw it. What I did see was a talking trash braggart involved in a sporting event. Who got his comeuppance and one upped. Then instead of taking it like a man, he reverted to a 2 year old by being a tattle tale.


The only one making it about race was the fireman himself. By being a professional victim, he achieved his goal of a large settlement to boost his retirement fund . Shame on him and same on the Los Angeles City Council.

[kguiffre]

I don't see where this was a racist issue. If it were a white man yelling, "Feed the Big Dog" at the Volley Ball Game, same thing would have happened. It is just another example the the Black Man crying, "Poor Pitiful Me", "Everyone owes me something." Really, Courts need to start tossing cases like this into the garbage and stop wasting time and money. I'm sure dog food has been served as a prank here and there for hundreds of years to other colors besides black; these fireman weren't the first ones to come up with the idea, however stupid. They should have had sense enough to know that if the victim were black, what they were up against. Still needs to be tossed out before any monetary gain is paid out. Stupid on judge's part. If this person left the courtroom and slipped and fell, it would probably be because he is black and someone owes him something. Give me a break.

[agnim]

limited

No need to call yourself 'english-american', because the whole planet is the evil empire of the english, right? LOL

Limited, maybe African Americans are proud to identify with the land of the FIRST MAN, the AFRICAN, the BLACK MAN!