CHICAGO — Some black firefighters and paramedics in Chicago are calling for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to oust Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago.
ABC7 News reported that the African American Firefighters and Paramedics League claim there’s still racism within the department, despite a court order to hire and promote black firefighters.
“We have systemic racism within the Chicago Fire Department,” said James Winbush, with the African American Firefighters and Paramedics League. “We’ve met with him (the commissioner) for five years, the league has met with him, we’ve had all kinds of discussions with him. He says one thing, he does something absolutely different.”
On Thursday, Emanuel said he stands behind Santiago.
“Jose Santiago did a tremendous job at OEMC and a tremendous job not only as a firefighter but leading the firefighters’ department,” Emanuel said.
The firefighters and paramedics said they’re not asking for a handout but just for equality, according to the report.