Daily Caller: The city of Atlanta has agreed to pay former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran $1.2 million after suspending and then firing him in 2015 over statements he published in a religious-themed book.
Cochran wrote the book titled, “Who Told You That You Were Naked?” in 2013, and he intended it to be used for a men’s Bible study aid. He handed out copies to a number of his friends and co-workers — people he said had requested them.
In the book, Cochran referred to homosexuality as a “perversion” in accordance with his own religious beliefs.
Two years later, in January of 2015, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed suspended Cochran and then ultimately fired him, claiming that he had illegally promoted his book on the job.
City attorney David Gevertz noted that, in addition to claiming that homosexuality was a perversion, Cochran had “lumped together gay people, those who have sex outside of marriage and non-Christians with murderers, rapists, pedophiles and those who engage in bestiality.”
Cochran, who also served as U.S. Fire Administrator under President Obama, initially worked to get his job back by saying that throughout his life, he could only ever remember wanting three things:
- I did not want to be poor, because we were very poor.
- I wanted a family because my dad had left my mother.
- I wanted to be a firefighter.
“Given my history and work throughout my career and with the city of Atlanta, I was shocked that writing a book and encouraging Christian men to be the husbands and fathers and men that God had called us to be, would jeopardize my 34-year career,” Cochran said. MORE HERE
Religious discrimination was clear here. This was a just verdict.
I hate Atlanta. Born and raised there, but lawdy, what a glittering, godless shithole it has become.
Good! Christophobia has no place in government.
Richard P, yes just for the Chief but not for the taxpayers or those that will have to pay increased insurance premiums as a result of the verdict. The ones that committed the wrong go scott free to probably committed it again.
Good point Arby
So the mayor fired him, claiming that he had illegally promoted his book on the job. A Fire Chief is never off the job. He is available at any time, 24/7/365. This sounds like a smoke screen to promote one of the mayor’s buddies into the position. And for that matter since when did Christianity become a crime. I said many a prayer before running into a burning building when I was a fireman(14 years). The chief was screwed and deserved to be compensated for this idiotic mayors action.
Ever since my HS girlfriend moved to Walla Walla, the only thing worth a trip to Atlanta for me is The Wren’s Nest, birthplace of Uncle Remus (i.e. Joel Chandler Harris’ home.)
Youngsters won’t remember it but Disney did a full-length animated feature called Song of the South which tells the story. The only way to get a copy nowadays is from Japan or sometimes eBay.
Hope he didn’t lose access to his public pension. I’m sure that dwarfs the settlement in a matter of several years.
Need another zero behind that number. $1.2 million just doesn’t cut it. This is clear cut religious discrimination. By the way, homosexuality is a perversion per every religion in the world.