# Fire chief caught refusing to help victims because they're black **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177 "2014-11-20T17:12:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/1 "2014-11-20T17:12:36Z")
Story [here](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-fire-chief-caught-on-camera-refusing-to-help-crash-victims-because-they-are-black-9872524.html). Thankfully the racist idiot (but I repeat myself) has been exposed. > [@](#): > > A police officer can later be heard saying on the radio that he has “a family of four from Cincinnati, I got to do something with”, to which a voice, reported by WDRB News to be that of Hatfield, responds: “We ain’t taking no n\*\*\*\*\*s here.” ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/2 "2014-11-20T17:33:36Z")
I understand that to be a racist, you have to also be an idiot in at least some respects, but Holy Fuck, Batman, this guy seems like he’s _trying_ to get fired and get his city sued. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/3 "2014-11-20T17:36:12Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I understand that to be a racist, you have to also be an idiot in at least some respects, but Holy Fuck, Batman, this guy seems like he’s _trying_ to get fired and get his city sued. Unfortunately, I think it’s very likely that guys like this are scattered through various local government/response roles in the South, Appalachia, and rural areas throughout the country. ---
**Author:** ![Fallen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fallen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallen)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/4 "2014-11-20T17:37:12Z")
Hatfield is evidently unabashed; his explanation is merely “… sometimes there’s a slip of the tongue.” Indeed, human nature being what it is, very few people will admit even to themselves that they (involuntarily/reflexively or willingly) hold certain beliefs. Good thing there’s no device by which people’s thoughts can be downloaded; however, with actions speaking as loudly as words, at best we can expect Hatfield will learn to mind his tongue. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/5 "2014-11-20T18:03:26Z")
Tough one for the apologists. He’s caught on tape, flat-out used the N-word, no arguing that he was misheard, misquoted, taken out of context, etc. Guess someone’s going to have to dig up a recording of a black official saying something racist. That or dig up an old pot arrest for the dad. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/6 "2014-11-20T18:07:44Z")
But racism is dead in America. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/7 "2014-11-20T18:16:40Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Tough one for the apologists. No shit. This board is chalked full of people who can’t wait to make apologies for racism. I expect this thread to soon be full of posters defending this guy. Maybe you could hold your breath while we wait for them. ---
**Author:** ![akwally1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akwally1/32/3220_2.png) [@akwally1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akwally1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/8 "2014-11-20T18:34:46Z")
The part that really blows me away is that this isn’t a comment that was said personally to the police officer, this was a statement said _over the radio!_ Which means to me that this is such an accepted phrase in their system that he knew nobody would say anything even though he broadcast it over the air. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/9 "2014-11-20T18:34:50Z")
Why hasn’t he been fired yet? ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/10 "2014-11-20T18:37:06Z")
This dude is probably too tone deaf to even be recruited by the KKK. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/11 "2014-11-20T18:42:53Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > No shit. This board is chalked full of people who can’t wait to make apologies for racism. I expect this thread to soon be full of posters defending this guy. Maybe you could hold your breath while we wait for them. Or maybe I could hold yours. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/12 "2014-11-20T18:45:33Z")
Hatfield expresses his view of [Asians and women](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kentucky-fire-chief-drops-n-word-tape-article-1.2016669): > [@](#): > > The station reported another incident in which its Asian-American TV journalist Valerie Chinn attended an open department meeting and tried to ask questions about the mismanagement accusations. > > “Do you understand English, darling?” Hatfield says on camera. “Do you understand English?” ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/13 "2014-11-20T18:46:00Z")
A couple points: 1. In the vast majority of the cities in this country the fire departments would not provide roadside assistance to an uninjured person black or white in a situation like this–at most they would do would give them the phone number of local tow truck operators. 2. The fire chief has (well-deserved) problems with the local media. Anyone read this article: [WDRB confronts SE Bullitt Fire Chief about spending concerns, empty firehouses](http://www.wdrb.com/story/27375873/wdrb-confronts-se-bullitt-fire-chief-about-spending-concerns-empty-firehouses) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/14 "2014-11-20T18:57:10Z")
I liked how he said it was a “slip of the tongue”. NOPE. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/15 "2014-11-20T19:10:51Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Why hasn’t he been fired yet? He’s probably got some procedural rights that must be observed. I’d expect the eventual outcome is obvious, but they have to follow whatever the process may be. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/16 "2014-11-20T19:29:27Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > No shit. This board is **chalked full** of people who can’t wait to make apologies for racism. I expect this thread to soon be full of posters defending this guy. Maybe you could hold your breath while we wait for them. “Chock-full.” ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/17 "2014-11-20T19:46:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “Chock-full.” Gesundheit. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/18 "2014-11-20T19:56:18Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I liked how he said it was a “slip of the tongue”. > > NOPE. It slipped out from the hood. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/19 "2014-11-20T20:04:16Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Tough one for the apologists. He’s caught on tape, flat-out used the N-word, no arguing that he was misheard, misquoted, taken out of context, etc. That tape was edited to frame the fire chief, obviously, probably by a black fire fighter trying to take his job. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177/20 "2014-11-20T21:01:44Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > That tape was edited to frame the fire chief, obviously, probably by a black fire fighter trying to take his job. You are, of course, being ironic here? Doing a parody of something a parody of a racist RW idiot would say about it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-caught-refusing-to-help-victims-because-theyre-black/705177.md?page=2)