Mockery of Man's Death Tests Fire Dept. Again

Twenty-two years ago, two Firefighters, along with a Police Officer, were fired for the unofficial crime of Being a Moron in Public based on their presence, in blackface, in a spoof that was part of the annual Labor Day Parade in Broad Channel, Queens. 

Their dismissals had less to do with their participation in "Black to the Future," a depiction of how a more-integrated version of the neighborhood might look by 2098 that was reportedly on a par with previous mockeries of Asians, Jews and gays, than an improvisation by Firefighter Jonathan Walters. He decided to hang from the back of the float while proclaiming that he was drawing attention to the death of James Byrd. Mr. Byrd was a black Texas man who had been dragged to his death by white racists who tied him to the back of their pick-up truck.