Open Letter to Tennie Pierce
From Jennifer Solis –
Now that the Los Angeles City Council has voted NOT to hand your lawyer a check for $2.7-million of our taxpayer funds, it’s time to get back to work.
You are a highly trained, professional fire fighter, and we need you to be back in uniform doing what you do best – saving lives and property in your community.
Forget for a moment that you signed papers authorizing Ms. Harrison to sue the city. At the time I’m certain that you thought it was the best choice for you and your family. The lawsuit will proceed, along with several other pending claims for various grievances, and if you win the big bucks from a jury, so be it.
Meanwhile, sitting around waiting for a verdict, then the requisite appeals, will be much harder on you, your family and friends, than if you simply bite the bullet, and return to the work you did so well for 19 years.
Whatever retaliation you might have suffered when you were bounced around for the past two years is not going to happen now. If the Fire Department administrators have learned anything from this unfortunate episode, they know that they did not handle your situation properly during that time, and you can be sure that they are going to be vigilant about your situation, as well as any other signs of hazing or bad behavior toward women, minorities or anyone else, which smacks of un-professionalism.
Despite the fact that we, the taxpayers of Los Angeles, are dubious about some of these claims that have surfaced, we need to learn if there are deficiencies in the administration of our city’s fire department, and if anyone in management has failed to carry out their responsibilities. You can have some satisfaction, regardless of the monetary outcome of your case, that your claims are going to put a magnifying glass to many aspects of your department. There’s nothing wrong with such scrutiny.
If you are still headed for retirement in five years, this will at least provide you with your full income and benefits for another sixty months. But you are still a young man, comparatively speaking. We would hope you could continue your fine work for as long as possible, and use your knowledge and experience to help train others who are coming up in the ranks.
In my book, you are still a hero – as are all your brothers and sisters who have put their lives on the line for their community.
Now that the Los Angeles City Council has voted NOT to hand your lawyer a check for $2.7-million of our taxpayer funds, it’s time to get back to work.
You are a highly trained, professional fire fighter, and we need you to be back in uniform doing what you do best – saving lives and property in your community.
Forget for a moment that you signed papers authorizing Ms. Harrison to sue the city. At the time I’m certain that you thought it was the best choice for you and your family. The lawsuit will proceed, along with several other pending claims for various grievances, and if you win the big bucks from a jury, so be it.
Meanwhile, sitting around waiting for a verdict, then the requisite appeals, will be much harder on you, your family and friends, than if you simply bite the bullet, and return to the work you did so well for 19 years.
Whatever retaliation you might have suffered when you were bounced around for the past two years is not going to happen now. If the Fire Department administrators have learned anything from this unfortunate episode, they know that they did not handle your situation properly during that time, and you can be sure that they are going to be vigilant about your situation, as well as any other signs of hazing or bad behavior toward women, minorities or anyone else, which smacks of un-professionalism.
Despite the fact that we, the taxpayers of Los Angeles, are dubious about some of these claims that have surfaced, we need to learn if there are deficiencies in the administration of our city’s fire department, and if anyone in management has failed to carry out their responsibilities. You can have some satisfaction, regardless of the monetary outcome of your case, that your claims are going to put a magnifying glass to many aspects of your department. There’s nothing wrong with such scrutiny.
If you are still headed for retirement in five years, this will at least provide you with your full income and benefits for another sixty months. But you are still a young man, comparatively speaking. We would hope you could continue your fine work for as long as possible, and use your knowledge and experience to help train others who are coming up in the ranks.
In my book, you are still a hero – as are all your brothers and sisters who have put their lives on the line for their community.
Posted by Anonymous @ 11/29/2006 06:44:00 PM
43 Comments:
"You are still a hero" I don't think so Jennifer. I wonder how much tax dollars were wasted in all the discussions during council on this mess.
To think 5 brave heroic firefighters lost their lives trying to save homes and the city haven't given their families a cent. All the media attention has been on Pierce instead of them.
Give the $2.7 million to the families of the firefighters who died up in the desert.
Jennifer, what makes you think Tenny Pearce is a "hero"?
Just being a firefighter doesn't make you a hero. This entire event proves he's a scumbag.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
"and return to the work you did so well for 19 years."
Please provide details to back up this statement, such as promotions or commendations he received etc.
It's amazing how self-aggrandizing the City Council idiots are when waxing fondly about Alex Padilla, but they made him seem like the fucking Pope!
These idiots were falling over themselves like they saw god. It wasn't god; just Alex Padilla, a decent city councilmember who picks and chooses the easily solvable problems.
That having been said, it's clear that the City Council and Delga-dildo have to be replaced with people who aren't going to lie to the voters about term limits, etc.
There's not a good one of them. They are all corrupt. We need fresh and honest people in City Council and the City Attorney's office.
And for once, Villa La Raza did the right thing. He'll lose the next mayoral election though, because it's very clear that he's the dopiest of them all.
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Bravo for logic FINALLY prevailing at City Hall.
I don't know much about Herb Wesson, other than he's a pompous, inarticulate dope.
Jennifer, your remarks are very appropriate, reasonable, and in the real world you have brought justice to everyone involved. Thank you for taking the time, and for having good judgement and common sense- you should be mayor.
J.S. North Hills
Finally the black voice is stomped as it should have been years ago. How dare they threaten at city council. Asshole Earl Hutinchson, Naji Ali and the rest of them who always DEMAND they get their way. Well guess what?? This time all your threats didn't do it. Like John & Ken said the blacks are only 10% of LA and yet they tell people they'll burn this city if they don't get justice.
If padilla is the puppet who is (and has been) pulling the strings?
How much $ has this person made from zoning, city loans, subsidies, Etc.???
And the district still sucks from lack of representation.
leadership doesn't require a degree from MIT - it requires common sense and integrity.
Who is the puppet master? The same special interests that control the state legislature and the mayor's buddy Fabian.
Jen:
I don't get it.
In your prior column on this site you said publicly that Tennie Pierce was "a Judas to his fellow firemen, and money-grubbing leech."
http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/2006/11/hitting-politically-correct-lottery.html
Now he's your hero?
Explain.
This had me laughing out loud. Deficiencies by the administration in the LAFD? Just wait and see what is yet to come out.
"In my book, you are still a hero . . . ."
Time for a new book! Dog food guy is a would-be shake-down artist, who is abusing the court system and trivializing true race discrimination. Crying over a silly prank is insulting to people who have endured real hardships.
Hmm-mmmmmmmmm
Ms. Solis is just another flip-flop artist that blows with the wind it appears. She ought to run for office.
If this firefighter gets money for the bite of dog food prank we better bend over, there will be a flood of more firefighter law suits...
Get ready.
There is a flood of lawsuits already in the works...long before today... most with merit.
Open your wallet City of LA.
Taxpayers pay the price for poor leaders like Bamattre.
But Mayor Villaraigosa is responsible if he doesn't fire him.
Open comment to Tennie Pierce: So you thought it wasn't fair to have dog food in your spaghetti! Damn it man, LAFD is supposed to be a team effort, a mutual trust... you broke that team trust by getting upset at a schoolyard prank pulled on you! Now you want us taxpayers and your neighbors to pay for your hurt feelings. Life itself isn't fair... GET OVER IT!
You should have targeted those who pulled the prank upon you. You should have sued THEM, not us taxpayers!
I don't know about the rest of the city, but as for me, I don't need a thin-skinned man for a neighbor... the next thing I would know, you would make up some excuse and sue me!
Sign me: Los Angeles taxpayer and resident.
"We have a chief currently, as you all know," Villaraigosa said. "Should there be a vacancy, nothing would make me prouder than to have a department that is headed by an African American, (a) woman, (or a) Latino."
Hey Solis and others,
Think for a minute about how Mr. Pierce must feel. Having suffered the indignation of unknowingly eating dog food that was served to you by your "brothers" is humiliating. For you to say he should get back to work with those same people is ridiculous.
You are just like those who voted with the Mayor.
The fact that Mr. Pierce participated in prior hazing acts has no bearing on the fact that he felt humiliated by what was done to him. If those who were hazed felt the same way, they should have filed a lawsuit.
Many of you are missing the point. It's sad that you all enjoy kicking someone when they are down. This thing is emotional and psychological for Mr. Pierce. You all will get pissed at the police for shooting a baby but neglect that the child's father was holding the baby in front of him as he fired at police. Need i say that you are pissed only because the child was Latino?
You all place the race card on here and you don't even know it. Either that, or your just plain ignorant.
Bitches!
Sigh of relief. Superb post anon 10:53
Did Pierce cry when the four guys died fighting fires?
Did Pierce cry at council for the money?
8:00 p.m. said
"Finally the black voice is stomped as it should have been years ago. How dare they threaten at city council. Asshole Earl Hutinchson, Naji Ali and the rest of them who always DEMAND they get their way. Well guess what?? This time all your threats didn't do it. Like John & Ken said the blacks are only 10% of LA and yet they tell people they'll burn this city if they don't get justice."
Yeah, obviously this case has nothing to do with racism.
8:00 pm idiot doesn't represent the bulk of anti pierce settelement. Be serious!
This Pierce lawsuit embarrassed this entire city like never before. Our city was being made fun of by everyone, written in every newspaper, radio, tv and our politicians were called demeaning names as they should have been cause they caused this. Parks is a moron. He says today "this send a message to African Americans that they cannot get justice even if they raise valid issues of harassment or racism.
PIERCE WANTED TO BE CALLED "BIG DOG" after a volleyball game he stated, 'FEED THE DOG." This is what it was all about. A nickname and nothing more.
7:10, I am serious. Granted, everyone isn't as blatantly ignorant as 8:00 p.m., but why are people so reluctant to educate themselves about the facts of the case? Just because you've never experienced racism or participated in it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And what about the cover up? What if your boss bought dog food, allowed your colleagues to serve it to you, allowed you to be harassed and then tried to hide the fact that it ever happened? From the Daily News:
"Depositions taken from Fire Department personnel show that Pierce's supervisors helped plan the trick, then tried to cover up their involvement. They also show that the department failed to act on Pierce's complaints that his colleagues continued to harass him by calling him 'Dog Food Boy' and barking at him.
"Another deposition includes testimony from a black battalion chief who said his report about the incident was rewritten without his knowledge. The captains were suspended for a month for their involvement in the trick."
I'm sure everyone here would have a good laugh and take it in stride. No one would complain, and then take legal action when the complaints were ignored.
Just wait until the Capt. Frankie Lima case hits the news.
9:10 Um, I think that's why she's writing here and on every other blog she can find isn't it?
Hey 6:12
Remember?
Jennifer and her dad are friends of Mayor and Huizar.
Don't quite understand her actual role at Mayor Sam's Sister City yet, but I'll find out soon.
7:52
You got me! I say we pay him $20 thousand, tops!
Will this cover your fee?
We shall not be overcome by false prophets or claims.
Who is Jennifer Solis' dad?
Why do the blacks always bring out the race card? Many of them thought O.J. was guilty but played the race card cause they say it was payback. They've been using it because people have bought into it. Not anymore. Look at Michael Richards. Why aren't the gangster rappers apologizing for calling other blacks the N word, calling their women whores and bitches. Paul Rodriguez and Carlos Mencia constantly call Latinos negative names but you don't see Latinos crying and making a big deal out of it saying their racists. Chris Rock is the biggest racist calling whites all kind of names. People get a clue. Its called free speech.
FREE SPEECH IS GOOD BUT THIS GUY WAS BRUTALLY RACIST.
3:07 RANDY WALLER
The lawsuits filed by white firefighters are comin next!
Anon 6:32 AM - Thank you!
Just for the record, the council vote and the dog food incident was posted in Reuters Oddly Enough section. It's international now.
I'm happy the vote didn't go the other way, LA would have become the laughing-stock of the world!
Did he know it was dog food before they told him it was? I would think that it had a funck to it but was eatable and not harmful.
Guys always get carried away with there little jokes and pranks and then someone takes it to far or along comes a bad sport who uses it as leverage.
And all that aside, I though the fire department was made up of adults. I thought that maybe they all understood what professionalism meant. The military does it, the highschool football team does it and apparently so does the fire department.
Nothing quite like living in an overboard PC community full of sue happy and lazy people. I’m so frustrated with the people who abuse the system and waist our time, energy and money for their personal gain. The money and time spent on this guys dog food dinner could have completely changed the lives of needy people in this community or cleaned up some of these disgracefully filthy streets we walk down every day in LA.
Mr. Pierce, grow up. (Grow a pair) Do unto others as you would have them do to you and stop wasting everyone’s money and time.
That silly slave stock .... when will they learn? A Hispanic tsunami is about to drown their O.J wannabe/reality challenged asses, but alas, they can't see past the the filing date of their next discrimination suit.
I read the comments and I'm still waiting for the voice of reason and good judgement. I agree Pierce participated in pranks against his fellow firefighters; however, the basis of his complaint is what happened AFTER the pranks: his superiors participated, they tried to conceal and/or falsify reports about the situation, and Pierce was unable to get relief after having made his complaint. No other fire station would accept him and he could not continue to work at the site of the incident. The LAFD, in my opinion, is being penalized for their failure to address a hostile work environment (which could also be a EEOC complaint) and for their deceptive handling of the situation. Just MHO
Pierce did the same thing under oath.
He had denied takining any part in hazings.
Once a liar always a liar.
Too bad Pierce is a liar and fraud.
So now that whites are the new minority.. WHAT DO I GET??
Here's some info about the LAFD that you won't see on their website. This thread has had almost 45,000 hits. This is the last page (pg. 22) of the thread as of today: http://www.firecareers.com/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=11&Topic=6908&srow=421&erow=440
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