Detroit’s Black Firefighters Back White Recruit Fired over ‘Racially Insensitive’ Watermelon

Good for them. If it wasn't intentional and he would be a moron if it was its nice to see the PC crowd get pushed back. We could certainly use more of this.


A group of black firefighters from Detroit are backing their white colleague after he was fired on his first day for bringing a “racially insensitive” watermelon to work.
Robert Pattinson, 41, was fired after introducing himself to his fellow firefighters by bringing in a watermelon with a pink bow on top as part of workplace tradition of new recruits bringing in a gift for fellow employees on their first day on the job.


Black Detroit firefighters defend white recruit fired over watermelon
A fired Detroit probationary firefighter is getting a big show of support.

Yet Second Battalion Chief Shawn McCarty confirmed that some staff argued it was “racially insensitive” to bring a watermelon to a firehouse, and Pattinson was consequently discharged by Fire Commissioner Eric Jones, who described the incident as “offensive”....:

However, a number of black firefighters from the same department reacted to the incident with a big show of support for Pattinson, describing him as an “amazing dude” who had “good intentions.”



“Just want to let everyone know he’s a real amazing dude and it was all good intentions,” firefighter Tadarius Spearman wrote in a Facebook post, alongside ten African-American firefighters. “And our entire class (is) supporting him in this. Especially us African-Americans and that’s all that needs to be said. Stay up brother. #DFD.”

http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...t-fired-over-racially-insensitive-watermelon/

 

It's nice to see a positive event posted. As for the firefighters support of their colleague, perhaps they will become friends now. The world needs more good people who don't succomb to superficial prejudices and intentions matter.

 

The insane part is the people who fired the fireman are the ones who stereotyped a watermelon with blacks, right?

 

Lets just enjoy some good news and not make anything bad out of it.

 

I don't know but I do know that I love watermelon.

 

Wonder why your fellow righties won't post on this story......

 

Pardon my ignorance, but why is a watermelon offensive?

 

The Phoenix FD has a bagpipe team that does parades, FF conventions, etc. They march around in full scottish regalia- kilts, hats, socks, the whole nine yards. Theres a few black guys on the bagpipe team. They wear the same outfits, except instead of plaid, celtic knots and ancient runes, their kilts and accessories are zebra stripe, tiger stripe, furs and african tribal symbols.. its freakin cool.

Race takes a backseat when it comes to the comradery of firefighters.

 

Its a common racial jest the blacks like fried chicken, grape soda and watermelon a bit more than other folks. IME its totally true, but then again, those things are all freakin delicious, so w/e.

 

To relate a watermelon to race is racist in and of itself. Whoever fired him needs to be fired for racism.

 

Never heard of the grape soda before. Besides the fried chicken and watermelon, I thought they liked Colt 45 and Newports. But thanks to Clinton I learned they also like hot sauce.

 

Consider yourself blessed, tearing up this story would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

 

I forgot about that lol...

 

I never, ever would have associated blacks with hot sauce. What kind do they prefer, do you know? I like Louisiana hot sauce and some of the Mexican varieties.

 

You've never seen Undercover Brother?

 

Lol...and Detroit fired a fireman for stereotyping. I did see the chili pepper necklace on Under Bro.

 

A great tale of people standing together against ridiculous bureaucratic idiocy. It gives one hope.

 

I'm conservative and enjoying the thread. So lets keep it that way.

 

I'm conservative and insane politically correct stories like this need to have the libs in them ridiculed to no end.

 

Wait!! So if someone brought Bagels to our dept. as a thank you, could we have them fired because most of us are Jews? I’d personally thank them but I’m not a PC moron.

 

What are you saying? Really do not know what you mean.

 

But what if the guy forgot the lox ?

 

Bob Grease was suspended for ssying a Latino ate tacos

 

We have to start somewhere, My goodness we get more than enough of negative debates. Look on the bright side.

 

It has some sort of tradition or myth that Black people like watermelon. I think that idea may be prevalent in the South but it woukd be nice if a Southern Black on this forum coukd chime in on this.

I am White but as a kid I loved watermelon. It was a summer treat. We were "encouraged" by my mom to go out back on the back porch or sit by the picnic table and eat watermelon out there due to some allegation that we were messy. We would spit out the seeds into her flower garden and hoped that they would grow into watermelons. Never did before the frost killed them.

So I did not realize that I was being insensitive to Black people by eating watermelon. If we had any Black neighbors we could have invited them over to eat watermelon and spit the seeds out. It was an unwritten rule that Colored peoplecwere notvallowed to buy houses in our neighborhood.