“I have been told by the Commissioner [John Hodgens] it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down.”
The New York City firefighters (FDNY) who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James this past will be required to undergo mandatory reeducation training, as required by FDNY Commissioner John Hodgens.
James previously gave a speech at an FDNY ceremony where her voice was loudly drowned out with chants of "Trump! Trump! Trump!" by numerous firefighters in the crowd. This move was seen as a response to James bringing forward a civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump, which resulted in a hefty fine of $354 million.
In a memo sent out to the firefighters, it stated about the those who chanted, “I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the Commissioner [John Hodgens] it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down.”
The firefighters are being warned to turn themselves in or face potential investigations to identify those who protested James. A memo and email was issued by the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA) & Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) which condemned the firefighters for injecting politics into the event.
“Members have a right to political beliefs. But you don’t have a right to make a job related ceremony political in nature,” the memo obtained by Viral News NYC stated. “When you’re on duty, feel however you want about politicians. Vote. Protest. That’s your right. But don’t do it on the job’s time, on other members’ time, or on their families’ time. Do it on your own time.”
“Politics aside, the attorney general is a friend to the UFA and UFOA and a supporter of our department,” the memo continued.
The memo finished by listing the “next steps” following the controversy, which included a note that members who come forward will go to HQ to be “educated” on why their behavior was unacceptable.
FDNY firefighters were further cautioned in an email that failure to come forward could result in being hunted down.
“BITS is investigating this so they will figure out who the members are,” the email reads.
In a statement, the UFOA expressed their awareness of the department's response to the ceremony, indicating that deputy chiefs will be visiting each company to discuss the events and offer members the opportunity to confess. Additionally, members were informed that the department possesses video footage of the incident that shows specific individuals who interrupted James’ speech at the ceremony.
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