Assistant fire chief in Indiana demoted after tying noose

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

More bullshyte from Indiana.

MARION, Ind. — An assistant fire chief in Indiana has accepted a demotion after tying a rope into a noose in the presence of a black firefighter whose wife belongs to the family of a lynching victim.

City Attorney Tom Hicks said Marion firefighter Rick Backs accepted a demotion to private in a meeting Tuesday with Fire Chief Paul David, the Chronicle-Tribune reported (http://bit.ly/1NC19nx ).

An investigation by David found Backs tied a rope into a noose and left it in a fire station kitchen Feb. 13. Black firefighter Mikel Neal said Backs threw the noose at him, but other firefighters said Backs laid the noose on a table.

Hicks said Backs was allowed to keep his job because of a "lack of disciplinary history and his avowed statement that it was not racially motivated."

Backs has said in a statement that while he "had no malicious intent, tying that particular knot showed poor judgment and I understand the feelings of those I offended."

An attorney representing Neal and his wife, RaChelle Fears-Neal, called for Backs' dismissal during a news conference Wednesday.

"It's not a joke. It's not funny," attorney Walter Madison said. "And if Mr. Backs doesn't have the brain power to understand such an act is so harmful not only to the Neals but the community and to the country, I hardly find a place for him in public service."

Rachelle Fears-Neal is a cousin to Abram Smith, one of two black men lynched in Marion on Aug. 7, 1930, after being charged with killing a white man and raping his girlfriend


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/assistant-fire-chief-in-indiana-demoted-after-tying-noose/ar-AAakIqv

[libdem4life]

1. We need another F###ing Desk for a bigot.

[bullwinkle428]

2. "avowed statement that it was not racially motivated"

Are you fucking kidding me?

[City Lights]

3. Demoted?

He should have been fired. Fuck the racist.

The hits just keep coming for Indiana this week.

[get the red out]

4. People are losing their humanity to racism

I am disgusted every day.

[geek tragedy]

5. awaiting the "freeeeee speeeeeeech" folks to weigh in nt

[KingCharlemagne]

9. The weird thing is that I don't think anyone can simply casually tie a noose on the

spur of the moment. Tying one requires at least some practice, I think, which begs the question of how often the now-demoted chief tied one before the events in question and what his mind-set was while engaged in that practice. Perhaps some questions are best left unanswered, eh?

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Would not want to be this Guy,

you thing for one second this Racist will make retirement. Stupid=non curable human malady.

[NightWatcher]

7. What was the upside of this? We see the downside, he'll be demoted or fired

What was he thinking would benefit him after doing this? I wouldn't trust this guy to put out a flaming dumpster, much less a house.

[jeff47]

11. Probably thought it would be funny or cool. (nt)

[1StrongBlackMan]

8. There was a lot of klan activity in Marion, IN ...

back in the early 1980s ... there still might be.

[KingCharlemagne]

10. IIRC, Indiana was the center of the renaissance of the Klan in the early 1900s. It's been

quite awhile since I spent time studying that cesspool.