A federal court has ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Fire Dept. and City of Shreveport. The original petition was brought by Todd Dean in 2000 who felt he was unfairly discriminated against for being a white male.
Dean scored higher in tests than some black men who were hired while he was not. The ruling should now compel Shreveport to cease race-based hiring in all departments and to evaluate all the city's programs which incorporate racial criteria for hiring.
The fire department ended the practice almost a year before the case was heard in 2004 in order to avoid further lawsuits. The practices were brought in during the 80's when it was claimed the fire dept. discriminated against blacks and females.
