Judge Rules That NYFD Discriminated Against Blacks And Latinos: $128 Million

It certainly takes some brains, not just brawn, to effectively fight fires, but it doesn't take a degree in rocket science. However, even with decade after decade of initiatives to allow minorities the opportunity to join the ranks, the NYFD has remained 97% white. Yes, you heard me correctly, 97%. How is that?

Well, Judge Nicholas Garufis says he knows. Whites have kept their lock on firefighting jobs in the Big Apple by rigging the test. And even after the city was told their testing was unfair, they kept on testing and hiring the same as they have been for decades, with the same results. It seems the test administrators continually revised the test to ask questions in context where being white, growing up white, have friends and family that were white, was a distinct advantage in answering correctly, having nothing to do with firefighting.

Here is one definition of the cultural bias Judge Garufis is citing, "cultural bias in testing refers to a situation in which a given test is inappropriate for a certain audience as it does not test the test-taker's actual knowledge of a taught subject or includes details tied to a culture that the test-taker is unfamiliar with."

Addendum: If you divide the payout into the number of abused, it comes to $58,181 per person, offset by certain individual earnings that may have occurred.

James C. Collier

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