Jerrod Jones, a Black firefighter, has filed a lawsuit against the central New York fire department where he is employed.
According to NBC News, Jones is suing the Rochester Fire Department, which he joined in 2008, after alleging his supervisor, Jeffrey Krywy, told him to attend a party with racist undertones. Jones also said that since he publicly revealed what took place at that party in 2022, he and his family have been harassed.
Details from the lawsuit state the harassment started after Jones and his attorney held a news conference in August 2022 describing the party Jones was urged to attend. He said the event featured a sizable cutout of former president Donald Trump and photos of local Democratic politicians’ heads situated on stakes.
He also alleged that the party had buckets of fried chicken and party favor bags that included Juneteenth-themed cups and bottles of Hennessy. Jones stayed for approximately 40 minutes and was told by his supervisor that he wasn’t allowed to take pictures.
“I went to the bunk room about three hours earlier than I normally do because I was just that angry inside,” Jones said, “and I was still kind of processing what was happening. I just went, and I just laid in the bed and just prayed that I didn’t have to go anywhere that night because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind—and I was driving [the firetruck], so that’s a huge, huge responsibility.”
Eventually, Jones took a medical leave of absence for emotional distress after attending the party. He has yet to return to the job. Krywy retired in 2022 “before termination proceedings” could begin following an investigation with the city.
In an email statement to NBC News, a spokesperson for the city of Rochester and the Fire Department wrote that “the City does not comment on pending litigation.”