LA Mayor Puts the Kabosh on Prankster Settlement

It seems that every couple of days the City of Los Angeles is paying out millions to somebody due to accusations of racism or harrassment. The latest such case was an Aggrieved Black Person firefighter who sued after his compatriots reportedly put dog food in his spaghetti. The city council voted to give the ABP $2.7 million for his troubles.

Almost immediately after the settlement was announced, photos mysteriously appeared of the ABP involved in many pranks of his own. Pranks in firehouses are as common as wet hoses, and every firefighter who has been on the job for more than one day has either been the victim or perpetrator many, many times. In this case my theory about Minimum Melanin Requirement seems to have come into play once again. The ABP had enough of said melanin, and therefore could claim racism for the prank played on him, which he was himself a major prankster against others.

After seeing the photos, the mayor vetoed the settlement:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued the first veto of his administration Monday, striking down the City Council's approval of a lawsuit settlement that would pay $2.7 million to an African American firefighter who contended that he was a victim of racial harassment.

The case involved Tennie Pierce, who sued the city after discovering that dog food had been mixed into a spaghetti dinner served him by fellow firefighters. But the settlement's size, which was the largest in Fire Department history, triggered a swell of negative public reaction that deepened when a website posted photographs of Pierce engaged in hazing pranks.

The mayor's veto sent a rebuke to the council, which had voted 11 to 1 for the settlement earlier this month, and to City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who recommended the deal although some of his deputies knew from lawsuit testimony that Pierce had appeared in photos of Fire Department hazing.

Several council members said the city attorney did not show any photos to them before the settlement vote.

The city would be foolish not to take this to trial because once the jury sees the photos of the ABP in all his prankster glory, his case is toast.

Someone else may be toast as well - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Why did he withhold those photos from the city council? Who's he supposed to be protecting, the taxpaying citizens of LA or the ABP who can dish it out but can't take it? This isn't over.