Black Fireman Served Dog Food Gets $2.7M

(AP)  A black firefighter will be paid $2.7 million to settle claims he suffered racial harassment and discrimination after fellow firefighters served him spaghetti laced with dog food.

The award was the latest in a string of settlements by the Los Angeles City Council of lawsuits alleging harassment, discrimination and hostility within the fire department.

Firefighter Tennie Pierce, 51, said in his suit that firefighter Jorge Arevalo mixed canned dog food purchased by Capt. John Tohill into Pierce's dinner at their station two years ago and another captain, Chris Burton, knew about the trick but didn't say anything.

Pierce "took a large bite, at which time he noticed the other firefighters were laughing and making noises," the lawsuit said. After taking a second bite, he demanded to know what was in the food but no one would speak up.

Pierce said he suffered retaliation for reporting the incident to supervisors and was subjected to "verbal slurs, insults (and) derogatory remarks," including taunting by firefighters "barking like dogs (and) asking him how dog food tasted."

A fire department investigation suggested the October 2004 incident was intended to be a prank to "humble" Pierce after a station volleyball game where he had said, "You guys keep feeding the Big Dog."

The three firefighters were dropped from the lawsuit as part of the settlement. As punishment, the two captains were given one month off without pay, and Arevalo was ordered off work for three days without pay.

Along with the settlement, Pierce will be placed on paid administrative leave until April, when he reaches his 20th anniversary with the department. After that, he will be eligible to collect retirement benefits.

"This ordeal has taken its toll on me and my family," Pierce said in a statement issued by his attorney. "I truly hope that my case will make a difference for African-Americans in the Los Angeles Fire Department."

Pierce's claim was one of several cited in a pair of audits released in January, alleging a pattern of harassment and discrimination against women and minorities working for the department.

Last month, the city awarded $220,000 to a firefighter who said he was sexually harassed by the captain, then retaliated against when he complained. In September, a female firefighter was awarded $320,000 because of her supervisor's persistent sexual advances.

[jena1971]

When I was an infant, I was placed for adoption. Because I am half-black, I was paced with a biracial couple, who beat me, resulting in my hospitalization at 12 weeks old. Once I healed, the hospital and the agency sent me back to the same home. Once again, I was abused. This time, after another hospitalization, I was removed from the home.

My adoptive parents later sued the agency, the hospital, and the state (and of coure, the couple), due to my injuries. To this day, I am blind in one eye, have symptoms of traumatic brain injury, and have other issues that have affected me over the years as the result of the abuse.

Clearly, my placement in this home was racially motivated, as was the decision not to pull a harder-to-place child from an abusive home, or report it as abuse. The settlement? $300,000, out of court. Naturally, the lawyers got 1/3 of that. The remainder didn't begin to cover all the medical bills I've racked up over the years.

Now I hear that this black firefighter got $2.7 million for his racially-motivated ordeal of...eating dog food? Pardon my lack of sympathy for his anguish.

Maybe if the abusive couple my parents sued had fed me dog food, I would have had more of a case.

[onesanshoe]

KEEP on rocking in the free world!
S'cuse me, though not American I do happen to be human.
1. Feeding a fellow human dog food = contemptable,find the guilty ones, , ,60 days hard labour around the station (you gringo's don't make very good communists,this attack was also hierarchial , sentence should be equitably dispensed & acceptable to all ranks & fery luckily $ince you Yanquis keep on rocking , you have no gulag ( cleaning toilets , the kitchen , scrape , clean ,spit & polish repaint etc ,they would know the job-site, though might have need some 101 on the diff, between painting with a toilet brush Vs. other types of brushes),two get their heads out the dog food themes,allow them to donate one months salary to charity they think best suited their humour , them being humourous an all,and their 60 day donation to hilarity could be getting about the cleanup job wearing muzzles and being called "big dogs" . These could be dispensed with in the event they were "called out".
2. Who? calculated $2.7mil., he , she , it needed theirts head looking into as of then , + who agreed to 2.7 without @ least a good old W.T.F.!? ,followed by a retrial concerning the sanity of the 2.7 figure.
As for the one served dog food (woof look ma no hiccups woof). Keep on rocking , You can't keep a good dog down,woof woof & have a nice day !

[sydjulia22]

I also think this is a crock. Race had nothing to do with it! But of course here is someone abusing the true memories of racism. People...this isn't racism. This is a group of guys joking around...and I would venture to say that this so called "victim" has participated in prankster stunts as well. All meant for a good laugh! PLEASE! Who the heck judged this case????

[sciselia]

i thnk this was just a scheme to get money..this kinda stuff happens all the time...we did this to a girl in highschool....we fed her a worm in her chili...or something like that and we only got suspended...no 2.3 mil laasuit or whatever it was i think this man a is a greedy man who deserves none of this....RACE MY @$$.....it has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT...still owuld have happened to a white man...

Sci

[agnim]

gramto11

That's right, Gramto, in addition to a relatively few of the issues being of black and white, the vast majority of the issues are going to fall into the many shades of gray area, where the possibility to find common ground is always greatest.

[adstamp]

Come to think of it...I dont think there was that kind of money up on Fear Factor...and they eat much worse that dog food.

[adstamp]

Man, there has to be more to this than just a very bad joke. I just can not see where race was the point. Very disgusting prack that should have been handled, but this seems to me a bit much. I agree Itwas a big blow to this mans ego...but if it can be eaten by an animal, it won't harm you. Gross, but if you think of any of our food it's all gross. Let's see Egg's chicken's butt....Beef..ever been in a slotter house..can't get more sick than that...OH and our veggies....mannour...poop...help's put them on our dinner plates. Man can you tell most of these blogs are from city folks. thous of us that have help put dinner on our plates ..know its all gross.

[gramto7]

Agnim,
I actually agree with you on this! Wonders never cease! I guess things aren't totally opposite between the two of us after all.

[t_hegstrom]

It is unfortunate that this is discussed in such an unintellectual manner. Resorting to calling another an idiot accomplishes nothing and leaves question to the rest of your statement. Stating that "What those guys did to that man was unsanitary and inhumane" is absurd. It certainly wasn't unsanitary, it is food, and probably quite healthy. It certainly wasn't inhumane, we have people living on the streets of virtually every city in America that 'dine' on far worse. And I still haven't read any evidence that points to this being racially motivated. According to the article this was one incident "a prank to 'humble' Pierce after a station volleyball game where he had said, 'You guys keep feeding the Big Dog.' ". Please attempt to keep things in context and address the issue.

[olebd]

Did you ever notice that refried beans from a can smells just like Alpo?

I'm sure that since this happened in California, the legal team would have eventually been able to prove that "Human consumption of dog food in the state of California, has been proven to cause cancer."

Enjoy all that cash whomever you are. Now you can afford some really good toothpaste and mouthwash.