Noose found by firefighter inside Washington fire station sparks investigation
.jpg "A firefighter found a noose inside a Seattle fire station, triggering an investigation. Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said in an email that nooses “have an undeniable history in our nation as a symbol of racial hate and intimidation.”")
The Seattle Fire Department is investigating after a noose was found inside a station in the Bitter Lake neighborhood.
The noose was found by a firefighter, who then alerted supervisors, according to a statement from department spokesperson Kristen Tinsley.
“Discrimination and racial harassment are antithetical to SFD’s values and will not be tolerated,” the statement said. “The department takes any complaints of discrimination and harassment very seriously and will use all appropriate measures to address any violations of policy.”
Tinsley declined to share details about the ongoing investigation to “maintain the integrity of the investigative process,” the statement said.
In a Feb. 18 email to department staff and firefighters, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said it was upsetting that the incident happened during Black History Month, Firehouse Magazine reported. He added that nooses have an “undeniable history in our nation as a symbol of racial hate and intimidation and historically (have) been used to murder Black people.”
In the email, Scoggins also said that he would be “remiss” to not acknowledge that the incident happened at the same station where an “old patch with racist iconography was inadvertently used in the 2020 yearbook,” KOMO reported.
“Our Black colleagues might again be questioning who they can trust as an ally,” Scoggins said, according to KOMO. “This incident is in opposition to our department values of compassion, courage, diversity, integrity and teamwork.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Noose found by firefighter inside Washington fire station sparks investigation."