THE ISSUE: A Justice Dept. suit against the FDNY for alleged discrimination against minorities.
* For the past 15 years, the FDNY has been bending over backwards in order to increase minority representation in its ranks (“Bean-Counting vs. The Bravest,” Editorial, May 23).
The city has not only dumbed-down the entrance exam, but it also grants test-takers a 5-point New York City
residence credit.
For years, it has been recruiting potential candidates in minority neighborhoods and started a Fire Cadet
program in minority area high schools.
What is it going to take to prove that the city is doing all that it can to hire more minorities in the Fire Department?
Giving away appointments to the position of firefighter on street corners in minority communities?
Anthony Iorizzo
Staten Island
* Thanks for your editorial about the FDNY’s hiring practices.
It seems that the DOJ is suing because the test discriminates against people who didn’t even take the test.
How much is that costing taxpayers at the federal and city levels?
David Biesty
Staten Island
* You have printed the racial and ethnic makeup of the FDNY innumerable times. However, I have never
seen the breakdown, racially or ethnically, of the Corrections Department, the MTA or DC 37. Why is that?
If there are too many whites within one agency, isn’t it possible that there could be too much of another race
elsewhere?
Steven Kubler
Stewart Manor
* It seems to me that other city agencies have no problem attracting minorities.
What’s the racial makeup of the parking enforcement department?
To say that the test must be biased if not enough blacks or Latinos pass is an insult to everyone. If you can
mentally and physically do the job, great. If you can’t, you can’t.
Ask the person in the burning building if they want the most qualified person to attempt a rescue or someone who is
there because of a lawsuit.
Mark Morgan
Kew Gardens
* Why is it that minorities have to be recruited for this job? They are tracked down and given an application,
and if they don’t receive a good enough mark, it’s someone else’s fault.
They should all look in the mirror, because that is where the blame lies.
James Brady
Alberton, Mont.