A racial controversy is rocking a New Jersey town after a white firefighter faces criminal charges for harassing and intimidating a black coworker with a rope noose, according to a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors.
Veteran Bloomfield firefighter Patrick Thomas hasn’t worn his uniform since Nov. 16. He’s still processing what he says was the the trauma of what happened during rope and rappelling training when a fellow firefighter approached him.
“One of my co-workers tied a noose and gave it to me,” he told the I-Team in an exclusive interview. “He was laughing and he was like, ‘I want you to figure out what kind of knot this is.’ So my reply was, ‘I know exactly what this is. This is a noose.’ I said, ‘This is what people used to hang my ancestors from trees.’
Thomas said he asked the other firefighter if he thought it was funny — to which the other man laughed.
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I asked, do you think this was funny? And he proceeded to laugh.”
”I didn’t know how to feel. And I felt anger. Still very angry,” Thomas told NBC New York.
The 42-year-old Thomas said there were plenty of witnesses at the firehouse at the time.
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“My Captain and another one of the firefighters came to check on me. And I could tell by the look in their faces they were in shock,” Thomas said.
He also said it wasn’t the first incident involving the other firefighter, Walter Coffee. The first one took place before another training class the week before.
“The same guy came up to me while I was standing outside and said, ‘Hey Thomas, there’s a noose upstairs on the table,’ said Thomas. ”I said, why would I want to see a noose? He looked at me, he laughed. He was like, ‘I am just telling you.’”
Thomas has hired attorneys who obtained a temporary restraining order against Coffee, who has since been suspended without pay. But they’ve also put the fire department on legal notice.
“I am looking into evidence that there was previous knowledge with respect to what Mr. Coffee was going to do and whether by virtue of their silence, they turned a blind eye to his racist actions,” said attorney Thomas Ashley.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has since charged Coffee with “harassment with a purpose to intimidate” because of race or color. The charging documents note that the incident was captured on video from the firehouse.
”I think that presenting a noose to an African American is no different than writing a swastika on a piece of paper and giving it to a person of the Jewish faith. It communicates not only hate but it communicates the actual threat of violence,” said Ashley, noting that he believes it “absolutely” was a hate crime.
Attempts by NBC New York to reach Coffee were unsuccessful.
Thomas, who said he loves his job, now isn’t sure who really has his back.
“You have to be able to put your life in the person to the right or the left of you at any given moment,” said Thomas. “I don’t know how he feels about me or other African Americans and just isn’t saying anything.”
A spokesperson for the township emphasized that officials are outraged and disappointed, calling the alleged actions unacceptable and that they are exploring all disciplinary options. Thomas is expected in court Tuesday, seeking a permanent restraining order against Coffee, who is expected to appear during the court battle.
