FDNY Removes Controversial Page Posted on Facebook After From The G-Man Investigation

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By Gary Glennell Toms

During a recent Internet search on New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire houses in Harlem, From The G-Man discovered a page that was posted on Facebook that has shocked many in and outside of the community. “The Harlem Zoo,” which is the nickname of Engine 59/Ladder 30, features three monkeys in a cage wearing helmets and holding firefighting tools. Bananas are also pictured near a sign that reads “Do Not Feed.” The page was posted on Facebook on May 13 of 2017.

From The G-Man shared the image on the page with Harlem residents and those residing in other areas of the city, via email and through Facebook, and asked them to comment. Many noted they were extremely disappointed that the FDNY would allow members of its department to post what many people of color would consider a racist caricature of Black people. “Yes, that is offensive. I bet none of these guys live or work in our community but reference our community in disparaging ways,” said Cynthia Cason, a longtime Harlem resident. “But I’m not surprised, and I’m sure there will not be any reprimand for such behavior because it permeates from the top, too.” Daniel Felder, a Harlemite who works as a program coordinator, also expressed outrage. “Wow!!!! Are they serious? It’s very racist!!! Yes, it angers me!!!” A woman who ask to be identified as “a Harlem resident and longtime employee of the City of New York” stated the FDNY needed to explain its position on the posting. “Even if the logo was created without ill or racist intent, it still sends the wrong message to people of color in this community and anywhere Black people live in this city,” she said. “Some people may not be offended by it, but as a Black woman I certainly am. You can’t just post something like that for millions to see and not provide context or a backstory, if there is one. It doesn’t matter that it was posted back in 2017. The FDNY needs to explain this.”

From The G-Man also submitted the page image to the star of the award-winning documentary “Accidental Courtesy” and internationally-renowned race relations expert Daryl Davis. Davis has appeared on several episodes of The G-Man Interviews to discuss the issue of race and the Atlanta Child Murders. He emailed the following response.

“At first glance, I wondered if this was a nasty joke someone was using to offend this particular fire department. But unlike many, I am not one to jump to conclusions without investigating. When most people think of Harlem, they think of Black people. When monkeys are shown in a picture of a word that leads people to think of Black people, we think of underlying racial overtones, which are further enforced by the bananas and the word ‘zoo.’ For anyone outside of New York City, calling a fire department The Harlem Zoo, with that picture, one might think, they are using a pejorative term to describe a fire department made of Black firefighters. I, on the other hand, did a small bit of research and I found pictures of White firefighters at the Harlem Zoo station house. What gave me pause and prompted my research was that all the monkeys were not brown. My conclusion is that this is not intended to be racist, but there will definitely be those who won’t take the time to research and will react negatively to the picture by creating their own false negative based upon a stereotype of Black people which in this particular case, I believe to be unintentional. The logo jolted me. Not so much in anger, but in curiosity. Once I studied it and looked into it, I was fine with it.”

On July 12, From The G-Man submitted a series of questions regarding the controversial page to the office of FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro through the department’s website. The following day, James Long, the FDNY Director of Public Information, contacted From The G-Man and indicated the matter would be investigated and comments would be provided at a later date. On July 20, FDNY Press Secretary Amanda Farinacci Gonzalez emailed the following statement.

“Thank you so much for your patience in us getting back to you. We appreciate it! Here’s what we found out. The Facebook page you mentioned is not an official page of the FDNY. It has been inactive since 2017. After some digging, it appears to have been started by a retired member of the Department living out of state. It has since been taken down.

“On background, the Harlem Zoo is a nickname that derived in the late 1970s/1980s and is meant to represent the firehouse, not the community it bravely serves.

“The name began as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the members there because of their height/size – one member known as “Bear” and another one known as “Moose.” That led to another member jokingly calling the firehouse the Harlem Zoo, and it stuck.

“To date, the FDNY is not aware that there have been any formal complaints about the nickname, but again, the Facebook page has since been taken down.”