Sacramento Leaders Demand Answers After Allegations Of Hostile Work Environment Within Fire Department

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento leaders are demanding answers from the fire department after a Black firefighter quit over what he called a toxic culture of racism and bullying. 

Desmond Lewis told CBS13 that his former coworkers made racist such as, "'Can't these people stop protesting and go back to shooting each other.' 'Was driving by a group of black kids and called them n****.'"

He says it wasn't just racism he faced inside of the Sacramento Fire Department.

"The way they talk about women, different sexualities. They still say re*** and F***. A firefighter being bold enough to say the n-word is upsetting and frustrating.," Lewis said.

In a statement, councilmember Eric Guerra called the allegations "truly alarming" and says, "In a city that prides itself for being one of the most diverse in the nation, we cannot have room for work-place environments that foment discriminatory attitudes towards people of color and the very own communities they serve."

Guerra went on to say that community leaders and neighborhood associations have raised similar similar concerns.

The Sacramento Fire Department is made up of 700 workers, and nearly 70% of them are white men.

Guerra wants the department to come up with a plan to recruit minorities and also wants an audit of the department's complaint process.

Captain Jaymes Butler, one of two African-American captains within the Sacramento Fire Department, tells CBS13 he was on an advisory committee that presented recommendations to the city council and officials for how to better diversify the department, like more funding for outreach programs and recruitment, but he says they never saw any additional financial support.