ERASE RACISM CALLS ON BROOKHAVEN FIRE DEPARTMENT TO CURE ITS CULTURE OF THE RACISM PRESENTED BY THE DISPLAY OF A CONFEDERATE FLAG ON ONE OF ITS FIRETRUCKS

Syosset, NY – September 1, 2020 – ERASE Racism President Elaine Gross issued the following statement concerning the confederate flag that was displayed on a firetruck of the Brookhaven Fire Department:

In apologizing for the recent display of a confederate flag on one of the Brookhaven Fire Department’s firetrucks, Chief Peter Di Pinto Jr stated, “Because this is a personnel matter and currently under investigation, we cannot give out any further details.” The displaying of a confederate flag on a public vehicle purchased by taxpayers and operated at their expense at a public event is not a personnel matter. It is an outrageous act of racism! It is an official statement by a firefighter of that firefighter’s perception of the values of the Department. The Brookhaven Fire Department needs to do far more than hide behind a brief written apology. The Department’s Commissioners need to speak out. The Department needs to complete its investigation rapidly; there is not that much to examine. And the Department needs to announce publicly what steps it is taking to cure the culture that permitted this reprehensible act.”

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