Firefighters, policeman fired in racist float incident awarded back pay

[Khephra]

NEW YORK (AP) _ The city has been ordered in federal court to give about $275,000 in back pay to a police officer and two firefighters who were fired for riding in blackface on a Labor Day parade float in 1998.

Judge John Sprizzo ruled the city must pay Officer Joseph Locurto $80,000, firefighter Robert Steiner $77,121, and firefighter Jonathan Walters $117,804, court records showed.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--racistfloat1130nov30,0,6820558.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

[wicket]

1. They are claiming their 1st Amendment rights were violated

Whatever. :nopity:

[Rose Siding]

2. They aren't getting squat. More from the NYPost

BACK PAY FOR BLACKFACE BIGOTS
snip>
But in a ruling last year, Sprizzo said the Giuliani administration violated the officers' free-speech rights.

He noted they were acting as individuals, not in their capacity as city employees.

Sprizzo signed off only on back pay. The three also want to be rehired.

"There's an agreement on the amount of money for damages," said Steiner lawyer Marvyn Kornberg.

But city lawyer John Pines said the three men will be not be rehired or "paid a dime" pending an appeal of Sprizzo's ruling.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/35503.htm

[jayfish]

4. I Like This Sprizzo Fella.

"He noted they were acting as individuals, not in their capacity as city employees." Great, does that mean we can stop being fired for things we do outside of work? I'll trade a few bigoted assholes for more personal freedom any day.

Jay

[Moloch]

3. What is this??

Al Jolson making his triumphant return to show buisness???

Fuck their back pay.

[comradebillyboy]

5. we do not need to protect the first amendment rights of those

we disagree with. free speech is only for our friends. racists do not have first amendment rights, do they? where can i find the list of folks for whom the first amendment is invalid?

[xchrom]

6. you can say what you want

but many city govs make it plain -- that if you indulge in some language there will be consequences.
see that's because it's a government for every one -- and you have to leave your bigoted view points at home if you want to work for government.
it's really kind of 101.
and think again if you don't think speech isn't regulated in this society.

[ashiebr]

7. Seems odd that these racists................

.......get FA rights, but not this lady:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1032017&mesg_id=1032017