New Kansas City plan vows to fight fire department racism after Star investigation
The Kansas City Fire Department will reaffirm to its nearly 1,300 members within the next 90 days that it has no tolerance for discrimination, following an investigation by The Star that found systemic racism and harassment had been allowed to flourish.
Brian Platt, the new city manager, on Wednesday circulated Fire Chief Donna Lake’s plan to address the department’s culture, along with an update on what his office is doing to mitigate discrimination across the city’s departments.
Lake’s six-point plan addresses issues ranging from identifying disparities in the ranks to issuing an annual report on diversity, equity and inclusion and tracking claims of harassment and litigation with the city’s human resources and law departments.
For decades, white men have dominated KCFD. In a city where nearly 30% of residents are Black, only 14% of the KCFD is. And Black firefighters have not been afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Women have reported severe sexual harassment.
Now, the city and Lake are vowing action to address the longstanding issues.
“We didn’t get to this point overnight, and we’re not going to get out of this point overnight, but we are seriously working toward making the department better for every individual who works here,” Lake told The Star Wednesday.
The focus comes after The Star’s three-part series, which detailed decades of systemic racism and sexism tolerated by KCFD and City Hall officials. The three-part series, published in December, found that Black firefighters have been harassed and put in danger, kept from sought-after stations through unwritten rules of segregation and passed over for promotions.
Within days of the series, the City Council brought Lake in to answer questions. Platt instructed her to develop a plan to address the issues.
Some steps in the plan include:
▪ Reviewing specific incidents of discrimination and determining how to prevent them going forward.
▪ Reiterating discrimination policies to firefighters, providing resources to employees to report problems and tracking incidents.
▪ Issuing a request for proposals to look at vendors to handle the department’s entrance and promotional exams.
▪ Analyzing the promotional and assignment processes to identify barriers to diversity and inclusion.
“The work is ongoing, and everybody’s taking it very seriously, from the city manager’s office down to the rank and file employees,” Lake said.
Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, 3rd District, said the plan laid out by Lake is the first step in what will be a long process to bring about change within the city’s fire service.
“It’s clear that the staff, our administration have identified that there’s a lot of work to be done in this area, that there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Robinson said. “Just based on the listing of the processes and procedures that are not in place, it just leaves you with a sense of anxiousness and a sense of urgency to really look toward deep reforms.
“And those reforms are how we are leading, as an organization? What are we willing to tolerate? What are we willing not to tolerate? And how do we hold ourselves accountable?”
Mayor Quinton Lucas said Wednesday afternoon that he was still reviewing the plan but said, “there’s a lot there to digest.”
“I am appreciative … that we have from the fire chief — that she’s taking steps to add more diversity to the department. I think that’s essential.”
Lucas said these were some first steps of many.
“But it doesn’t matter what you write, if you don’t actually have people in the right positions to review these changes. And if you don’t have accountability, at the end, accountability for our firefighters, accountability for our administrators, like the fire chief, city manager, if we’re not watching what’s going on.”
Platt sent the fire department’s plan along with myriad additional initiatives and reforms, including many that would apply across all city departments.
According to Platt’s memo, his office is having conversations with the city’s two fire unions to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities across the department’s ranks, including the promotional process. His office is also pursuing a diverse recruitment drive.
“It is also important to note that our work has transcended beyond the fire department as we have uncovered challenges that exist throughout the organization,” Platt said.
Those include regular reporting to the City Council on all discrimination complaints, including both litigation and internal reports. Platt’s note said the city is working to establish a program to use outside investigators for internal complaints of discrimination. The city may also hire additional staff in its human resources department.
The city’s internal harassment investigators, the Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Office, can be slow to handle investigations. A 2017 audit found incomplete data and some missing investigative files.
Platt also said the city is working through how to more quickly terminate repeat offenders. He said the city is working to provide additional training for managers every quarter.
Also on Wednesday, a City Council committee moved forward on a plan to hire outside legal counsel to review the way the city’s existing rules about discrimination and harassment are being implemented in the fire department.
Robinson, who introduced the legislation, outlined The Star’s findings to her council colleagues, saying the council doesn’t want any city employees to endure the type of harassment firefighters have reported.
“And that could be happening today, so it is our duty to protect our workers, and we cannot wait,” she said.
A coalition of local civil rights groups backed the measure in a statement, saying it was “imperative” the KCFD undergo an independent investigation in the wake of The Star’s report. The group — made up of the Urban Summit local chapters of the National Black United Front, Urban League and Southern Christian Leadership Conference — said any delay would place “Black firefighters at risk for being subjected to additional harassment and intimidation.”
“The exposé clearly identified the fire department as a racist institution,” the group said. “Any delay in taking steps to eradicate the department’s discriminatory practices has the effect of putting the council’s imprimatur on systemic racism and further erodes public trust in those we elected to represent our interest.”
The Finance Governance and Public Safety Committee voted unanimously in favor of Robinson’s legislation and a resolution by Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, asking the city manager to come up with a plan to hire a chief equity officer. The full City Council is expected to consider Parks-Shaw’s legislation Thursday and Robinson’s next week.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 3:53 PM.
