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North Tonawanda Firefighter receives racist threats; his house caught fire later

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F

FunkyPajamas

Member
This is pretty upsetting. What is wrong with some people? The original news on the letter: http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/firefighter-receives-racist-threatening-letter/286215913

alt: http://www.buffalonews.com/city-reg...-sent-to-north-tonawanda-firefighter-20160803

wgrz said:
Kenneth Walker, 28, showed the letter to Two On Your Side's Claudine Ewing. It says "N-word are not allowed to be firefighters" and "no one wants you in this city."

Walker has reported the incident to his supervisor and the North Tonawanda police department.

The letter pressures Walker, 28, to resign from his position based on his race "or you will regret it."
Click to expand...

News of the fire: http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/nt-firefighter-recieves-threat-home-on-fire/286757609

alt: http://live.buffalonews.com/2016/08...-received-racial-threats-under-investigation/

Buffalo News said:
Federal prosecutors are looking into a racist and threatening letter sent to North Tonawanda’s only black firefighter.
(...)
The letter, according to North Tonawanda Fire Chief Joseph Sikora, includes the “N-word” and urges Walker to resign his job.
Click to expand...

This is a guy that's putting his life on the line to help the community and this is how some scumbag decides to repay him? Serious bullshit. Their cats died and they've lost everything they had. Truly appalling what's going on in America right now. Apparently the Feds are looking into this now.

I searched for "firefighter" and "tonawanda", didn't find anything. I'm not sure if this falls under the umbrella of "bad news, nothing to discuss" so lock if you must.

edit: I should have added this:
wgrz said:
The Gratwick Hose Fire Company is holding a donation drive that will benefit Walker and his family. The family lost everything in the fire. It will be Sunday, August 7, 2016 from 10am-2pm at the Gratwick Hose Fire Company at 110 Ward Road in North Tonawanda.

The family is in need of furniture, household items, clothing, toiletries, food and toys for their two children.

Here are clothing sizes for the family.

Kenneth (Dad)- Size 34-36 pants, large tops
Amanda (Mom)- Size 30-32 pants, 5X tops
Harmoni (4-year-old girl) size 6X clothing
Chloe (5-month old girl)- 9-12 month clothing.. size 3-4 diapers.
Click to expand...
 
M

Media

Member
Holy shut did they really burn his house down or was just a crazy coincidence?

Either way I hope the guy lands on his feet, that's messed up.
 
T

TAJ

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Post-racial society, folks.
 
ThisGuy

ThisGuy

Member
Seriously? Seriously? Saving lives isn't good enough for these people? Monsters. They're just monsters.
 
D

demosthenes

Member
Just bought a house in the south part of regular Tonawanda (that sits below North Tonawanda) and there is a house around the corner from me with a Confederate flag flying high. Thought I could largely avoid this shit up here, ugh.

FunkyPajamas said:
From the news I've read it seems like they didn't. Apparent they lost everything (and two cats died in the fire). There will be a donation drive later this week to help them.
Click to expand...

What the hell, how do you own a home or rent and not have insurance?!?
 
R

RageWaffles

Member
demosthenes said:
Just bought a house in the south part of regular Tonawanda (that sits below North Tonawanda) and there is a house around the corner from me with a Confederate flag flying high. Thought I could largely avoid this shit up here, ugh.
Click to expand...

dude, I moved to West Seneca from West Virginia, and I was expecting racism to be a bit less here in the north, but it seems a lot worse. I was really surprised by how segregated communities are, and there seems to be way more racial bias in hiring (at least in the places I've worked). I've had multiple coworkers who have just randomly started up conversations about how their neighborhoods are being "ruined" because a black family moved in on their street. I get that this shit is common all over, but I've only heard my (racist af) mom and one aunt talk like that before, and they at least followed it up stuff like "we shouldn't talk like that".

There's a pickup I've seen a few times around here with an actual full-size confederate flag on a pole in the back. It's absurd. I've also been seeing some "blue lives matter" flags around recently. But at least the "white lives matter" rally last week was drowned out by protesters.
 
C

ColdPizza

Banned
demosthenes said:
Just bought a house in the south part of regular Tonawanda (that sits below North Tonawanda) and there is a house around the corner from me with a Confederate flag flying high. Thought I could largely avoid this shit up here, ugh
Click to expand...

Just avoid Alden and parts of Lockport and I'd say you should largely be fine. =p
 
C

ColdPizza

Banned
RageWaffles said:
dude, I moved to West Seneca from West Virginia, and I was expecting racism to be a bit less here in the north, but it seems a lot worse. I was really surprised by how segregated communities are, and there seems to be way more racial bias in hiring (at least in the places I've worked). I've had multiple coworkers who have just randomly started up conversations about how their neighborhoods are being "ruined" because a black family moved in on their street. I get that this shit is common all over, but I've only heard my (racist af) mom and one aunt talk like that before, and they at least followed it up stuff like "we shouldn't talk like that".

There's a pickup I've seen a few times around here with an actual full-size flag on a pole in the back. It's ridiculous. I've also been seeing some "blue lives matter" flags around recently. But at least the "white lives matter" rally last week was drowned out by protesters.
Click to expand...

Buffalo is still very ethnic with a large Polish/Irish/Italian population. It doesn't surprise me at all. Remember crazy Cheektowaga lady shouting the N word at a black man a few years back?
 
M

Memory

Member
FunkyPajamas said:
From the news I've read it seems like they didn't. Apparent they lost everything (and two cats died in the fire). There will be a donation drive later this week to help them.
Click to expand...

:(, that's sad, can't believe the cats were killed also, i'm always worried about how my cat would escape if there was a fire while i was out.
 
Z

Zantetsuken

Member
"It shocked me," Walker said. "I didn't think that type of thing went on nowadays."
Click to expand...

Come on bruh. We're not escaping this. I hope they find whoever is involved. I'm pretty sure it was one of his firefighter brethren.
 
N

Nephtis

Member
They've got the FBI investigating. I hope they bring some damn good investigators and that they find the motherfucker that did this. And put him in solitary confinement forever.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
Buffalo -- #6 in segregation in the US but yet many here wonder why our city can never greatly improve. Makes me happy that I live downtown (one of the VERY few diverse areas here that's improving a whole lot).
 
D

demosthenes

Member
Bgamer90 said:
Buffalo -- #6 in segregation in the US but yet many here wonder why our city can never greatly improve. Makes me happy that I live downtown (one of the VERY few diverse areas here that's improving a whole lot).
Click to expand...

I've been in the Elmwood village the last 3 years and I really wanted to live in the city somewhere but I just wanted a house....and a small house that didn't need a ton of work (this is my first house and i only plan to be in it ~5-7 years) and those are practically non existent in Buffalo or they're $300k+ :(
 
M

mr2xxx

Banned
Tagyhag said:
Yep, not to mention a firefighter would be the one with the most motivation to care about some shit like that.

Hope they find the killer and throw him in jail.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be suprised, worked with a guy who wanted to be a firefighter but never made it and he blamed affirmitive action for his lack of success. Plenty of these people exist and it only takes one to ruin someone's life.
 
C

cpp_is_king

Member
This story keeps getting weirder. The guy admits to the arson but says he did not write the note.

At the same time, this story first broke earlier in the week when someone emailed a news station saying his friend received this note -- before the fire. The letter was signed with the name of the guy who later admitted to setting the fire. But he claims he didn't write the letter to the news station OR the racist note.

So confusing

http://www.wgrz.com/mb/news/local/nt-police-jurado-denied-sending-tipline-email-to-wgrz/287875816
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Ironically Supporting Fascism Is Cool Bro said:
This story keeps getting weirder. The guy admits to the arson but says he did not write the note.

At the same time, this story first broke earlier in the week when someone emailed a news station saying his friend received this note -- before the fire. The letter was signed with the name of the guy who later admitted to setting the fire. But he claims he didn't write the letter to the news station OR the racist note.

So confusing

http://www.wgrz.com/mb/news/local/nt-police-jurado-denied-sending-tipline-email-to-wgrz/287875816
Click to expand...

Possibly because it could be classified as a hate crime if he admits to the note.
 
C

chaobreaker

Member
Wow, people were right about it most likely being a firefighter. How is that a thing? Using your life saving skills and knowledge for destructive purposes. Scumbag.
 
C

ColdPizza

Banned
chaobreaker said:
Wow, people were right about it most likely being a firefighter. How is that a thing? Using your life saving skills and knowledge for destructive purposes. Scumbag.
Click to expand...

FBI put out a profile on arsonists a few years back. The vast majority of arsonists are volunteer firefighters.
 
F

FunkyPajamas

Member
Supa Necta said:
Suspect arrested. Was neighbor and former firefighter.
Click to expand...
Damn, I missed this update.
Ironically Supporting Fascism Is Cool Bro said:
This story keeps getting weirder. The guy admits to the arson but says he did not write the note.

At the same time, this story first broke earlier in the week when someone emailed a news station saying his friend received this note -- before the fire. The letter was signed with the name of the guy who later admitted to setting the fire. But he claims he didn't write the letter to the news station OR the racist note.

So confusing

http://www.wgrz.com/mb/news/local/nt-police-jurado-denied-sending-tipline-email-to-wgrz/287875816
Click to expand...
Wow. The tip the guy sent contained this: "There were also racial slurs used. Can you help him. Is this a hate crime." so he probably got scared and wasn't thinking clearly, or he was trying to cover his ass in the most inept way possible. What a dumb piece of shit. Racist scumbag.
 
P

Pizoxuat

Junior Member
chaobreaker said:
Wow, people were right about it most likely being a firefighter. How is that a thing? Using your life saving skills and knowledge for destructive purposes. Scumbag.
Click to expand...

Lots of volunteer firefighters are either firebugs themselves, or have Hero Syndrome and crave the adrenaline rush and community praise from doing their jobs. Either can lead to setting fires.
 
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