Report on culture and climate at the Fire Department delivered to City of Winston-Salem Public Safety Committee Author: Adaure Achumba Updated: 7:56 PM EST January 11, 2021
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Some Winston-Salem firefighters continue to bring attention to actions within the fire department they ve said are blatant racism. This, as city officials received a 42-page report from Charlotte based consultants, WPR Consulting LLC., on the culture and climate of the fire department.
According to the report, the WSFD itself, is not a racist organization, however, there are individuals employed by the department who are viewed as racists.
In October, a group of Black firefighters with the Winston-Salem Fire Department filed a grievance with the city. They want colleagues whom they say are responsible for racism as well as the fire chief out.
It was an ordinary day of training at the Winston-Salem Fire Department in November 2019. Firefighters were beefing up on ropes and knot-tying skills when a symbol of hate interrupted the class.
Michael Chapman, a white fireman, tied a noose and held it up to Darius Johnson, one of his Black counterparts in the department, then asked if Johnson knew what type of knot it was.
Nooses were tied around the necks of thousands of Black men and women who were lynched during the Jim Crow era.
When Johnson reported the racially charged gesture to his higher-ups, it spiraled all the way up the command chain to Fire Chief William Mayo.