Current/Retired/Former
Houston Fire Department Fire Fighters
_______________________________________________________
August 2, 2009*
Hon. Jolanda Jones
City Hall Annex
900 Bagby, 1st Floor
Houston, TX 77002
RE: Continuing the Focus on Ending Discrimination and Retaliation
Based on Gender and Race
Dear Council Member Jones:
We are writing to express our support for your efforts to get to the bottom of the very serious allegations of sexual and racial harassment and retaliation within the Houston Fire Department.
Looking into these allegations is not an indictment of all of the Houston Fire Department. It is, justifiably so, an effort to identify discrimination based on gender and race and the policies presently in place that allow it to continue – and to work on solutions that will end discrimination and improve conditions for all fire fighters. Now is the time. It’s gone on long enough.
We love/loved being fire fighters. We love Houston and we consider our mission to keep Houstonians safe as our highest honor.
As proud current/retired/former fire fighters, we understand better than most how these kinds of behaviors make Houstonians less safe. Our jobs necessarily involve/ed a high degree of stress and depend/ed on a high degree of trust among our fellow fire fighters. Conduct of the type alleged – or failure to investigate serious allegations of such conduct thoroughly, objectively and fairly – adds/added even more stress to our jobs and threatens/threatened to break the bonds of trust that are/were so necessary to our effectiveness.
As proud current/retired/former members of the various unions representing Houston’s fire fighters, we are dismayed that there has been an attempt to shift the focus away from the real issue: a cultural bias that we believe makes it harder for us to do our jobs and therefore makes Houstonians less safe.
As Houstonians and Americans, we believe our city can do better and we believe Houston deserves better. We believe in honor, duty and justice – we couldn’t/didn’t put our lives at risk for our jobs if we didn’t.
Thank you Council Member Jones. Keep fighting to keep all Houstonians – and all Houston fire fighters – safe.
Sincerely,
Assistant Fire Chief Otis Latin, Retired
Assistant Fire Chief Donald Mangum, Sr., Retired
Assistant Fire Chief Herbert Sims, Retired
District Fire Chief Charles H. Julian
Senior Captain Rose Arenas
Captain Dwight Allen
Captain Daniel Blake
Captain Marty Harvey
Captain Otis Jordan
Captain Hallis Kinsey
Captain John Lacey
Captain Johnny Morales
Captain Isaac Oneal
Arson Investigator Vantreece Williams
Fire Inspector Livingston Hampton, Jr.
Fire Inspector Alvin James, Retired
Fire Inspector Kenneth Ware, Sr.
Engineer Operator Mundo Alford
Engineer Operator Dwight Bazile
Engineer Operator Sharon Branch
Engineer Operator Cory Henderson
Engineer Operator Maria Jordan
Engineer Operator Kevin Levi
Engineer Operator Michael McCook
Engineer Operator Tracy J. Taylor
Engineer Operator Anthony K. Thomas
Engineer Operator Arthur White
Engineer Operator Jesse Wilhite
Paramedic Shavonnah Bush
Paramedic Darryll Dave
Paramedic Stephan Harris
Paramedic Gary Walker
Fire Fighter Nefertari Alexander
Fire Fighter Robin Allen
Fire Fighter Terrance Bailey
Fire Fighter Corey Bellamy
Fire Fighter Albert Bennett
Fire Fighter Kevin Block
Fire Fighter Darrel Bush
Fire Fighter Gary Charles
Fire Fighter Patrick Coyle
Fire Fighter Tracy Crawford
Fire Fighter Darren Dave, Former
Fire Fighter Gaylon Davenport
Fire Fighter Jane Draycott
Fire Fighter Rorick Fuller
Fire Fighter Herb Himbrel
Fire Fighter Rodney Jones
Fire Fighter Crandall Kelly
Fire Fighter Paula Keyes
Fire Fighter Linda Leslie, Retired
Fire Fighter Vincent Moye
Fire Fighter Brandon Oneal
Fire Fighter Drey Petry
Fire Fighter Margaret Roberts
Fire Fighter Matthew Rogers
Fire Fighter Leon Sandles, Retired
Fire Fighter Patrick Sims
Fire Fighter David Smith
Fire Fighter Herman Waddy
Fire Fighter John Weathersby
Fire Fighter Damon Willis
(*Signers as of 8/12/09)
(All signers are proud current, retired or former fire fighters)
