Name: Dallas Fire-Rescue battalion chief under investigation for racist Facebook post
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Dallas Fire-Rescue battalion chief under investigation for racist Facebook post

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12:22 PM on Jun 12, 2020 CDT — Updated at 2:01 PM on Jun 15, 2020 CDTUpdated at 2 p.m. June 15: Revised to reflect that the battalion chief has been placed on administrative leave, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue. A Dallas Fire-Rescue battalion chief under investigation after making racist comments on Facebook says his post was taken out of context.Allan Springer, who oversees 60 employees at the department, according to WFAA-TV (Channel 8), commented on a post about Black Lives Matter protests that “we need to find out who’s behind this and find a good tree to use!”Marcus D. Armstrong, president of the Dallas Black Fire Fighters Association, said in an email Friday that the group is asking Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Dominique Artis and City Manager T.C. Broadnax to fire or demote Springer.Springer told The Dallas Morning News that the original post showed bricks near a planned protest. He suggested they may have been dropped off to incite violence, specifically mentioning an internet conspiracy theory that billionaire George Soros “is trying to cause trouble,” he said.Similar theories about construction sites near protests have spread around the internet recently. There have been no verified instances of bricks being delivered for protesters to use for damaging property.Springer said he was not referencing America’s history of extra-judicial lynching of black people, but “just a cowboy-type of justice.”“It was in no way meant to be racial,” he said. “I really hate that it’s turned into this. I’ve got lots of black friends on the department.”Dallas Fire Fighters Association president Jim McDade also commented on Springer’s post, calling it “unbelievably offensive and inappropriate."Springer said he took offense at McDade calling him out publicly. He said he would have clarified his comment had he been approached directly instead.McDade said he was speaking for himself, not the association, but did point to a statement from the association.“We do not condone any sort of racism in the Dallas Fire Department either between the firefighters or between firefighters and citizens. It’s intolerable to us,” the statement read.Armstrong said that Springer previously has posted memes and other inflammatory content on Facebook about Muslims and other minorities.“I’ve recently learned that this is not Chief Springer’s first infraction with this kind of behavior. He has been reprimanded in the past for like actions,” Armstrong said in an email. “There is no place for this kind of bigotry that Chief Springer has displayed. The members of our Association feel uncomfortable under his leadership, due to these actions.”Department spokesman Jason Evans said in a statement Monday that the department was aware of “social media posts allegedly made by one of its members” and that the individual was put on administrative leave while an internal affairs investigation is underway. “We all want answers and justice, and are pursuing both with fairness and urgency,” the statement read. “At a time of deep pain resulting from crisis and unrest, we will make progress as One Dallas with empathy, ethics, excellence, and equity.”Springer also said that Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who killed George Floyd and sparked nationwide protests, deserves the same kind of justice he called for in the Facebook post.“They need to take that S.O.B and hang him on the courthouse lawn until he rots,” Springer said. “He needs justice right now and we wouldn’t have had the problems we have in the country right now.”Still, he said, he would not make the post if given a second chance. He has since deleted his Facebook account because of the reaction to his post.“I don’t see color, I see character,” Springer said. “I’m really sorry that it happened. I’m really sorry I didn’t explain myself better. ... It made the department look bad. It made me look bad.”Staff writer Dana Branham contributed to this report.Get email alerts on breaking news stories as soon as they happen.By signing up you agree to our

12:22 PM on Jun 12, 2020 CDT — Updated at 2:01 PM on Jun 15, 2020 CDTUpdated at 2 p.m. June 15: Revised to reflect that the battalion chief has been placed on administrative leave, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue. A Dallas Fire-Rescue battalion chief under investigation after making racist comments on Facebook says his post was taken out of context.Allan Springer, who oversees 60 employees at the department, according to WFAA-TV (Channel 8), commented on a post about Black Lives Matter protests that “we need to find out who’s behind this and find a good tree to use!”Marcus D. Armstrong,...

Dallas Fire-Rescue battalion chief under investigation for racist Facebook post

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