Detroit firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station

Looks like trouble in a firehouse. Robert Pattison, a probationary firefighter started at a new firehouse and it is traditional that a gift is brought, like donuts. But this guy brought a watermelon. The rub here is that the fire house is 90% black, and I guess the old stereotypes are to hard to shake.

Earlier this month, 41-year-old Robert Pattison went to introduce himself to his fellow firefighters at Engine 55 at Joy and Southfield in Detroit. Second Battalion Chief Shawn McCarty calls it a tradition for firefighters.

"It's not mandatory, it's voluntary," he says. "You come in bearing gifts. The usual gift is doughnuts, but you are allowed to bring whatever you want to bring in."

And Pattison, a probationary firefighter, decided to bring a watermelon wrapped in a pink ribbon. We're told some African-American firefighters were instantly offended, since 90 percent of the people who work at Engine 55 are black.

www.fox2detroit.com...


Robert Pattison claimed it was no joke, but he is fired anyway. Zero tolerance for discrimination is what the cause of the firing was. Watermelon is a discriminatory.

FOX 2 spoke to Pattison by phone, who claims it was not a joke - and he did not mean to offend his fellow firefighters. But he clearly did. Fire Commissioner Eric Jones says the Fenton native was officially discharged.

In a statement Jones says: "There is zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior inside the Detroit Fire Department. On Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at Engine 55, a trial firefighter (probationary employee) engaged in unsatisfactory work behavior which was deemed offensive and racially insensitive to members of the Detroit Fire Department.

So yes he was fired for offering a fruit that has some stereo types attached to it. Seems like a huge mess that may very well end up in court.

"After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the best course of action was to terminate the employment of this probationary employee."

In a world where racial tensions run high, some tell me the trial firefighter should have known better. Trout doesn't know if he meant anything by it - but feels it was a bad choice.

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Wow, what a load of crap. If he sues I'm sure he will win in a landslide, this is ridiculous. I doubt he'd do something like that as a "f#ck you" to his new coworkers, he'd be the biggest idiot in the world.

a reply to: seasonal

Saw this on the local news. What a load of crap.

Today in stupid.

a reply to: JinMI

I eat watermelon, in fact grew a bunch of it this year. Am I not supposed to eat this based on what color I am?

If I am offered it am I supposed to question the person who offered it depending on their color?


I smell a law suit.

It's almost like blacks think whites don't ever eat watermelon or something.

Don't give an Irish guy a potato.

a reply to: seasonal

You're clearly racist as is the store and farmer.

a reply to: seasonal

The PC crazies have lost their minds again.
I would like to know if they ate the watermelon anyway.

a reply to: RazorV66

Ahhh to be able to peer into someone's heart like the Detroit Fire Dept just did.

a reply to: Lysergic

Don't give a white girl a pumpkin spice latte either, you might be punished for it.

originally posted by: RazorV66
a reply to: seasonal

The PC crazies have lost their minds again.
I would like to know if they ate the watermelon anyway.

I'll believe they're serious when black guys can get fired for bringing white chicks pumpkin spice lattes.

a reply to: seasonal
I bet they still ate the watermelon.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: Lysergic

Don't give a white girl a pumpkin spice latte either, you might be punished for it.

Ach! Beat me to it.

Good gawd! I have brought watermelon to family dinners where everybody is supposed to bring something. It is healthy and can serve a dozen or more people. He looks young. He probably wasn't even aware of the stereotype association.

Who were the firefighters that complained? They are a bunch of troublemakers and obviously don't want the newbie...maybe it's because HE is the wrong color. They need to be investigated for prejudice, imo.

a reply to: ketsuko

I give up, what's the deal with pumpkin spice latte?

a reply to: ketsuko

Looks like I was a racist before you were! What do I win?

originally posted by: RazorV66
a reply to: seasonal

The PC crazies have lost their minds again.
I would like to know if they ate the watermelon anyway.

Probably.

"Good watermelon. We should have kept him."

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
Wow, what a load of crap. If he sues I'm sure he will win in a landslide, this is ridiculous. I doubt he'd do something like that as a "f#ck you" to his new coworkers, he'd be the biggest idiot in the world.

I agree. God forbid someone bring in a healthy alternative to donuts!

If the department had 99 white people and only one black person would he still have gotten fired?

a reply to: queenofswords

Good point, if this is the fire fighting team then there is a BIG problem and it more than likely starts at the top.