http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.racism3nov30,0,6299733.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Brian Lockhart
Staff Writer
November 30, 2006
NORWALK - Responding to criticism from black community leaders, Fire Chief Denis McCarthy last week accepted blame for the city's waiting over a year to investigate a videotape of a firefighter using racial slurs.
But McCarthy was one of seven city officials Scot Wilson, a black firefighter, claims to have sent a transcript of the tape to in September 2005.
Wilson said he sent it to then-Mayor Alex Knopp, two fire commissioners, the personnel director, a health department counselor and firefighters' union president Kenneth Hall, who is black.
An eighth person - city attorney Jeffry Spahr - learned about the tape around the same time from McCarthy.
The Common Council's Public Safety Committee and its chairwoman, Democrat Phyllis Bolden, have pledged to conduct an inquiry into what happened.
"Every single person that got this information had a responsibility to act on it," Bolden said.
Republican Minority Leader Richard McQuaid, a committee member, agreed.
"Nobody did anything," McQuaid said. "I have a huge problem with that."
The Advocate has attempted to piece together what happened through interviews with current and former city officials.
Many, including Knopp, said they do not recall being advised of the tape. The personnel department, which is supposed to spearhead any investigations of racism in the workplace, has no record of the transcript or of Wilson contacting staff.
The two people who appear to have been the most involved - McCarthy and Spahr - treated the tape's contents as part of a complicated ongoing dispute between Wilson and fire officials. The chief said he regrets that decision.
A 27-year veteran of the department, Wilson last fall had an age-discrimination complaint pending against his superiors and also was being disciplined for arriving to work intoxicated. He faces termination for a repeat offense this past September.
It also appears Wilson refused to provide the tape to city officials after McCarthy declined his initial offer.
Although Wilson two weeks ago showed the video to members of the press, Spahr said yesterday it had not been given to the city.
Wilson also said he never followed up with most of the city officials he contacted, including then-Personnel Director Sara LeTourneau. He said he was relying on McCarthy to handle the situation but also declined the fire chief's offer to pursue formal charges of racism.
"If he was that concerned from over a year ago, follow up with somebody," said Mayor Richard Moccia, who said he first learned of the videotape from the media. "Put in a formal complaint. Contact the city's Human Relations Commission. . . . He could have pulled me aside and said, 'You know, mayor, I've got this problem. Can I come in and see you?' "
Wilson said he first learned of the tape in August 2005. The footage is of an informal conversation in March of that year at the Broad River firehouse about Wilson's age discrimination complaint.
That complaint, filed with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, was dismissed in August.
On the videotape, when the issue arises of whether everyone named in Wilson's CHRO complaint is white, one firefighter says Latinos and blacks are included, but uses two racial slurs. The tape ends a few seconds later.
Wilson, who worked at Broad River, was not present and has declined to explain the source of the footage, but denies recording it himself.
He blurred the video for The Advocate so the newspaper could not identify the speakers.
The firefighters on the tape indicate they were aware they were being recorded.
The city's workplace harassment policy requires staff report infractions to the Personnel Department for a confidential investigation but suggests employees also can contact the CHRO.
Wilson filed a racism complaint with the CHRO earlier this year that refers to the videotaped Broad River conversation. But he said that in September 2005 he sent a transcript to several city officials in addition to McCarthy.
He also attached a three-page letter, addressed to McCarthy, who was hired in June 2005.
In the letter, Wilson describes his passion for his job; alleges he has been discriminated against because of his age; complains about department management, including the fire chief; and blames his arrival at work intoxicated on stress caused by "co-workers that show no racial tolerance" and "officers that have tried their best to break me."
Wilson said no one other than fire department staff and Spahr responded.
Knopp, whom Moccia defeated last fall, did not recall receiving any material from Wilson, but said he would have forwarded anything to the personnel and law departments. Fire Commissioner Larry Rossi could not be reached for comment. Former fire commissioner Michael Corsello said he did not know anything about the transcript or videotape.
Wilson said he also sent a copy to Craig Shoop, coordinator of the health department's employee counseling program. Shoop would not confirm or deny receiving anything from Wilson, but his supervisor, Health Director Timothy Callahan, said racism claims are handled by the Personnel Department.
LeTourneau resigned as personnel director in July.
Her successor, H. James Haselkamp Jr., said he has not reviewed all of the files he inherited but has found nothing about Wilson, the videotape or the transcript.
"I asked my staff, and nobody could remember him coming in to complain," Haselkamp said.
That apparently left the matter in McCarthy and Spahr's hands.
Spahr said he was troubled by the transcript's lack of content or context. It does not identify the speakers, many of whom use incomplete sentences.
"It appeared to be a hand-prepared document - a snippet of something said," Spahr said. "There are no names. You couldn't tell if it was firemen saying it, if it was being said on city property, about whom they were talking. . . . This wasn't taken under oath."
Spahr said he was concerned Wilson was trying to deflect attention from his ongoing disciplinary issues.
"The chief was trying to address his problems and complaints, and Scot went down this whole other path. He was talking about an incident that occurred before (McCarthy) was chief, when Scot wasn't present and the (racist) language wasn't directed at him," Spahr said. "If he tells the chief he doesn't want to make a claim, you wonder how much weight it should be given."
McCarthy last week said he should have accepted Wilson's offer to view the tape. But he also said that after learning of the video he spoke to union president Hall and other staff and was assured the department did not have a racism problem.
Hall has declined to discuss the transcript, the videotape or what he told McCarthy.
McCarthy's apology aside, council members remain dissatisfied with how the situation was handled.
Common Council Democrat Matthew Miklave, a labor attorney, said Wilson should not have had to "jump through hoops" to have his concerns addressed.
"Is it tolerable because somebody doesn't make a formal complaint?" Miklave said. "Anyone in a supervisory chain who was aware of this and failed to take action is at fault."
Council President Michael Coffey, a Democrat, hoped the Public Safety Committee will shed further light on how officials responded.
"Allegations were made . . . and they chose not to investigate," Coffey said. "It's plain wrong."
- Staff Writer Matt Breslow contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.