City leaders are accused of failing to stop racial discrimination at the Lansing Fire Department after an African-American firefighter found a banana on the windshield of his assigned truck, according to allegations listed in a federal court case.
The fruit was "pinned between the windshield and wiper blade obviously placed there to harass and intimidate" him and another African-American firefighter, according to the civil complaint filed this month in U.S. District Court.
The incident was a troubling escalation in what plaintiff Michael Lynn Jr. alleges was ongoing discrimination directed at him and other African-Americans in the department. He said he was retaliated against after complaining about the behavior and accused the city of Lansing of failing to protect him.
Lansing officials said the city did not retaliate against Lynn.
“While the City emphatically denies the allegations in this lawsuit, the City takes all such complaints seriously,” Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, who took office in 2018, said in a statement. “Since I became Mayor we have instituted affirmative steps to promote diversity and inclusion in our workforce and all City policies.”