EVERETT — The Everett City Council approved a $375,000 settlement Wednesday with a former firefighter who alleged racist harassment went unaddressed in the department.
In January 2021, Jason Anderson, who is Black, sued the City of Everett in federal court, alleging coworkers and supervisors repeatedly used racist stereotypes in his nearly two decades with the fire department.
Anderson was hired in 2003. He was one of the first Black employees.
Soon afterward, the comments about his race began. Anderson’s captain at the time said he was the “whitest Black guy I’d ever seen,” according to the complaint. Others reportedly called him “Juan” or “taco boy” based on his complexion.
A supervisor assigned him the name “La Migra” in the department’s fantasy football league. That’s Spanish slang for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Anderson also claimed an outgoing supervisor made a comment to him about “dumb (N-word)” at a department event. In another instance, he said he and other Black firefighters were warned not to “throw up gang signs” while on the truck.
In 2019 or 2020, Anderson reported a sticker of a gorilla dressed as a firefighter stuck to his locker.
The sticker “promoted one of the oldest racist tropes against African-Americans, comparing Blacks to apes and monkeys,” the complaint reads.
He reported this harassing conduct to a supervisor, but was told “we’ve all heard offensive comments” and “you need to suck it up,” the lawsuit says.
Anderson then reported it to the assistant fire chief and the chief as well as the city’s human resources department and the mayor. But the harassment reportedly continued.
According to the lawsuit, a captain in the fire department sent an email telling employees to “resist adding outrage culture into the amazing work environment that we have” and pushing them to “solve your issues at the lowest possible level.”
An outside firm investigated Anderson’s allegations last year. That investigation found some of Anderson’s complaints were founded. It also reported other current and former Black staffers heard racist comments in the “early years” of their careers.
“The City regrets that Mr. Anderson was subjected to the offensive comments and behavior that the investigator concluded occurred as he described,” city spokesperson Kimberley Cline said in an email.
In a statement, Everett Fire Chief David DeMarco called his department an “inclusive organization” committed to core values of integrity, trust, respect, professionalism and tradition.
“Our work to apply those values to improving diversity, equity and inclusion is extensive and ongoing,” he said in the statement. “We are committed to ensuring all our members understand and recognize the unique challenges faced by minority members.”
The fire chief said department leadership is working on “building equity into all of our systems.” In June 2020, DeMarco invited employees of color to listening sessions to hear about their experiences in the department. The next month, the department’s equity committee had its first meeting. The committee has recommended anti-bias training for all employees.
A top focus of that equity group is improving recruitment and hiring efforts to build a more diverse workforce. The department found previous entry-level testing fees to be a “barrier to entry” for candidates of color.
The investigation found current department leadership has “undertaken good-faith and deliberate measures” to improve inclusion.
Anderson stopped working with the fire department in November. DeMarco, who was promoted to fire chief in 2018, called him a “valued and respected paramedic and firefighter.”
A month ago, the city and Anderson decided to settle. In settling, the city is not conceding wrongdoing within the fire department. It is only acknowledging that “settlement of these claims is important for Mr. Anderson to move forward with his life, for the city to direct its efforts and resources to serving (its) residents, and for both Mr. Anderson and the city to conserve the cost that could be incurred as the result of protracted litigation,” the agreement reads.
Neither Anderson nor his family can file further claims against the city regarding his allegations, the settlement notes.
Anderson’s lawyer, Jamal Whitehead, declined to comment.
Out of 194 employees, the fire department currently has four staffers who identify as Black. Over 90% of the department is white.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
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