September/October 2000 Issue Number 15

Is a monthly electronic newsletter which links current events and issues to the daily challenges faced by fire and emergency services managers. Current topics in the area of sexual harassment, diversity management and conflict resolution will be discussed.

We hope that you find the information here useful and provocative.
Let us know what you think!

International Conference of Women in Firefighting, March 13-18, 2001 Cobb County, GA. Contact Women in the Fire Service at www.wfsi.org for more information.

Fifth Biennial Women in Uniform Conference, November 30- December 1, 2000, Arlington, VA. For information call: 202-628-0444 ext. 12.

The Contact Hypothesis

The Southwest Side is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse areas in Chicago. Formerly a white, working class neighborhood, it is now mixed among white, black, Hispanic, Arab and other ethnic groups. It was not an easy transition. In the 1960's, neighborhood residents stoned and spit upon Martin Luther King Jr. when he led a march through nearby Marquette Park. The Ku Klux Klan held a rally in the area in the mid-80's. Yet today, the area has absorbed a wide diversity of residents in relative harmony, and property values are going up.

Among factors contributing to this outcome is the fact that residents of the Southwest Side have the option of buying Home Equity Insurance for their properties. Under this plan, if a homeowner cannot sell his or her house for its assessed value, the insurance will make up the difference. The insurance pool is funded by a small tax assessment on area homes, and participating residents are required to wait at least five years before a sale below the assessed value entitles them to file a claim.

When minorities began moving into all-white urban neighborhoods, many white families began moving out. Some were motivated by the desire to live apart from those who were different, but a significant factor was fear that property values would decline with the demographic changes. The Home Equity Insurance plan reassured those who wanted to stay in the neighborhood that they would not lose value in their properties.

Since its inception, very few claims have been made against this insurance. The reason is the mandatory five year waiting period. In five years of daily contact with newcomers, many South Side residents have begun to feel comfortable with the new neighborhood profile. In fact, so few claims have been made (only about $60,000 worth) that the remaining millions of dollars in the fund are now being directed toward neighborhood improvement initiatives that will further stabilize and enhance the area.

Whether financial insurance should be necessary to successfully integrate formerly all-white neighborhoods is not the point. The South Sideâs successful integration depended on proximity over time - the opportunity for those who are different to actually live and work together, raise children side by side, and support common schools. Having committed to live together, many residents found that they have far more in common than they do in difference.

Sources:The Wall Street Journal, August 7, 2000. "Race Relations in the Military" by John Sibley Butler. From The Military: More Than Just a Job? Charles C. Moskos and Frank R. Woods, eds.

New census data indicate that non-Hispanic whites are no longer the majority of the population of the state of California. According to recent data, non-Hispanic whites make up 49.8% of the stateâs residents, Hispanics 31.6%, Asian and Pacific islanders 12.2%, blacks 7.5% and American Indians and Alaska natives account for .9%.

Source: The Denver Post, August 31, 2000.

Expanding Accountability

A judge in Florida recently reversed a decision by a jury that a defendant should pay $1.25 million to a family who was the victim of a racial slur. According to the suit, an employee of Pizza Hut of America delivered a written racial slur to a family along with a pizza. The company fired the employee immediately after the incident. The judge reversed the juryâs decision based on the fact that the company had dismissed the employee in question, and that the incident was a single occurrence.

What is most notable about this case is not that the judge reversed the decision, but that an impartial jury made the decision in the first place. The jury found enough evidence to hold the company liable for the single action of one employee, an action which the company had no prior knowledge of. Clearly, the expectation of employer accountability is rising.

It is also worth noting that the judge cited mitigating factors in reversing the decision. If the company had not immediately fired the employee, or if there had been a pattern of such behavior, perhaps the judgment would have stood.

Recent Supreme Court decisions in the area of discrimination and harassment law are significantly raising the level of employer accountability in these areas. Employers are not necessarily protected from liability simply because the incident was an isolated one, or because they did not know about it, or even if they took corrective action after the fact. Employers must be proactive: by training workers, leading by example, and developing and enforcing policies that insure a harassment-free environment for all.

Source: The New York Times, September 3, 2000.

© Linda F. Willing, 2000