The New York City Fire Department warned firefighters who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James and cheered for former President Donald Trump at a department ceremony last week. In a scolding memo the department handed out at firehouses across the city on Sunday, firefighters who took part in the behavior were warned to protest in their own time.
As reported by the New York Post, the department also revealed that its Bureau of Investigations and Trials is trying to identify those who took part in the booing by reviewing the video of the event.
Firefighters “should understand that BITS is gathering video and identifying members that brought discredit … to the department,” the memo said, adding, “We want the members to come forward. They will come to HQ to be educated [on] why their behavior is unacceptable.”
The booing incident happened on Thursday at a swearing-in ceremony at the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn. As James walked to the podium to give a speech, a part of the crowd booed her. In an attempt to get them to stop, she said, “Oh, come on. We’re in a house of God. First, simmer down.”
She then added, “Thank you for getting it out of your system.”
While the booing died down a little, as she continued her speech, the boos turned to chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
After the incident, Chief of Department John Hodgerns rebuked the offending crowd, calling their behavior “an embarrassment and not befitting of the world’s best fire department.”
Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh was also pissed, as she launched an investigation to track down the firefighters who participated in the booing and jeering.
Meanwhile, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association is prepared to stand for lieutenants, firefighters and other ranking members, whom it represents, as they might get interrogated over the incident.
“We advise all members to follow department rules and regulations during these visits and any subsequent inquiry that results from them. However, should any member feel they are subject to an investigation due to the nature of specific questions, they should immediately notify the UFOA and request representation. Any additional inquiries should not continue until a UFOA representative is present,” the association said in a message.
President of the association, Andrew Ansbro, however, condemned the outburst at the ceremony, calling it “disappointing.”
“We’re all kind of disappointed with what happened. It wasn’t a political event. Letitia James has always been a friend of the UFA. “This was disappointing. It was in a church. It’s not the place for it. Some members took the opportunity to express their beliefs. It wasn’t the time or place to do that,” he said while expressing a will to defend any member of the association who faces discipline.
