NYC firefighters who booed New York Attorney General Letitia James during a ceremony last week are now being hunted down for reeducation.
According to the New York Post, the New York Fire Department (FDNY) has a sub-agency, the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS), that has launched an investigation into the matter on orders of FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh.
The firefighters that booed Leticia James are being hunted down to be re-educated. You’ll see them move to Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Communism is destroying NYC.
— Robert J. O’Neill (@mchooyah) March 9, 2024
“BITS is investigating this, so they will figure out who the members are [who heckled James],” FDNY Chief of Department John Hodges reportedly wrote in an email to other agency officials last week.
“I recommend they come forward. I have been told by the commissioner it will be better for them if they come forward and we don’t have to hunt them down,” the email continues.
“The [deputy chiefs] shall direct the captain of the company to make a list of those who come forward and send it directly to [FDNY operations]. I realize members might not come forward but they should know that there is a clear video of the entire incident and they will be contacted by BITS if they don’t,” the email concludes.
Meanwhile, a list of talking points has been provided to FDNY deputy chiefs to explain why the involved firefighters are in trouble.
I was made aware by some FDNY members that after FDNY members booed Attorney General Letitia James that an investigation has opened up and FDNY bosses are now visiting different firehouses asking people to come Forward. I attached some documents below. https://t.co/lepsBYcrLA pic.twitter.com/VIHSkxt56v
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) March 9, 2024
“I’m here to address the behavior of firefighters that attended Thursday’s promotion,” the talking points read. “The behavior we saw and heard was grossly inappropriate. Protesting, heckling, or booing anyone at a ceremony is simply unacceptable. This was a promotion ceremony to honor members who made sacrifices and worked hard to achieve this day.”
“They had close family and friends there to celebrate with them. Absolutely no one should have been subjected to what happened based on the political beliefs of some members. It was disrespectful to the speakers, to the promoted members and their families,” the talking points continue.
The talking points further state that while the firefighters “have a right to political beliefs,” they’re not allowed to bring those beliefs to work.
“”[Y]ou don’t have a right to make a job related ceremony political in nature. When you’re not 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,” they read.
The talking points conclude with an eerie warning that the firefighters who booed James “will come to HQ to be educated why their behavior is unacceptable.”
When our founding fathers wrote the bill of rights, they did not include a provision in the first amendment that would preclude Letitia James from being heckled.
These valiant men and women of the FDNY were engaging in protected expression.
Let us be clear, this is an… https://t.co/7KSOQeQ7wV
— New York Young Republican Club (@NYYRC) March 10, 2024
According to the Post, the FDNY’s investigation has drawn fierce criticism, including from retired firefighters.
“It was a political stunt for the city to have the AG there,” one retired firefighter said. “When it backfired, they sent their fascist pit bulls after guys for exercising their First Amendment rights. Most were off-duty and not in FDNY uniform.”
Famed legal scholar and attorney Alan Dershowitz also blasted the FDNY’s investigation.
“Firefighters have an absolute constitutional right to boo the attorney general, and the government has no power to punish them for it,” he told the Post. “So efforts to get the names of the booers is an effort by the government to chill free speech and is unconstitutional.”
The FDNY disagrees.
“Nobody is hunting anyone down,” spokesperson Jim Long told the Post. “We’re looking into those who clearly broke department regulations. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s about professionalism at an official event held in a house of worship.”
All this comes days after the heckling occurred.
Letitia James drowned out by pro-Trump chants and boos https://t.co/Zsw1pxwS9K
— Nevada Jack (@NevadaJack2) March 8, 2024
As previously reported, a number of firefighters booed James as she spoke during an FDNY promotion ceremony. They later started chanting “Trump” in honor of former President Donald Trump, whom James has been targeting with lawfare ever since she was elected to office.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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