BESSEMER, Ala. — Spray paint vandalism may be connected to a lawsuit one firefighter filed against the city’s mayor and fire chief.
WIAT reported that an unsettled lawsuit claiming discrimination was filed in December 2014. The firefighter’s lawyer speculates that the two are connected.
“Chief Syx is a racist,” was found across the front of the Bessemer (Ala.) Fire Department’s administrative building in red spray paint.
The message was toward Fire Chief Paul Syx. Police are now trying to figure out who put it there.
“I don’t think anyone should ever deface public property,” Henry Rutledge, an attorney in Birmingham, said. “It probably is a disgruntled employee that’s been going through the same discrimination that my client has.”
Rutledge represents Bessemer firefighter John Johnson. Johnson, who is black, said swastikas were drawn on a white board and nooses were hung in the fire room. He was suspended for nine days in 2012 because he lashed out on a Facebook post about the alleged wrongdoings.
The lawsuit claims the city violated Johnson’s right to free speech. It asks for compensation for the duration of Johnson’s suspension, mental anguish and promotions Johnson says he was denied because of his race.
Mayor Kenneth Gulley and Chief Syx were advised to not comment on the case.