JFRD employees sue city of Jacksonville, say they were retaliated against for testifying in case

Two Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department employees are suing the City of Jacksonville, saying they were retaliated against for testifying in a racial discrimination case.

That complaint was filed by JFRD Capt. Eric Mitchell.

The employees said they were told they need to "get rid of" Mitchell.

This isn't the first time JFRD has faced allegations of discrimination and hostile work environments concerning African-American firefighters.

On Thursday, Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole went to the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters to ask the president if he thinks there’s a bigger problem.

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Cole asked, "Is there a problem with racism as far as JFRD is concerned?"

"Absolutely not," said Randy Wyse, president of Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, "In any large organization like that, when something doesn't go as an employee would like it, sometimes there is perception that their race or gender might be associated with the decision the department makes.”

Mitchell believed the color of his skin had a lot to do with his demotion and transfer.

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The African-American fire captain sued the City of Jacksonville in 2015, alleging racial discrimination.

In 2016, Anthony Treadwell and Andrew Sneed gave testimony that revealed they were told by a Lieutenant Brown to sign up for classes to “create the appearance that they were too busy to train Mitchell" and to "let him fail.”

Nearly five months later, Treadwell and Sneed were transferred from their position at The JFRD Academy.

Now they're suing the city, saying they were treated unfairly for speaking up.

Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay $4.9 million and develop new promotional examinations for the selection of certain positions in JFRD. The City also agreed to offer settlement positions to qualified African-Americans.

In 2016 -- the City settled a lawsuit alleging unfair hiring and transfer practices for black firefighters within JFRD.

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Cole asked Wyse, "Do you think there's anything in the JFRD culture that needs to change?"

Randy Wyse said, "I think we do a great job of responding and taking care of citizens. We'll always have conflict with employees due to the fact of how our job is structured. We're living with each other 24 hours a day."

Cole reached out to the two JFRD employees involved in the case, their lawyers and the Office of General Counsel, but none of them wished to comment.

Wyse told Action News Jax he believes the number of African-Americans in the department is proportional to the number of African-Americans that make up the population in Jacksonville.

Wyse also said there's a recruitment section and cadet program specifically dedicated to encouraging minorities to join the department.

Cox Media Group