Orlando leaders vow to make changes after firefighter uses racial slur

ORLANDO, Fla. — Some Orlando firefighters are demanding the city make changes after a first responder admitted to using a racial slur.

After a long investigation, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City Council said they have had enough and are vowing to make changes.

Black firefighters addressed the City Council on Monday, asking it to do something about firefighters who make derogatory comments.

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The mayor and the union both agreed to sit down and make some serious policy changes.

Gregory Meeks represents firefighters all over Central Florida and he is demanding changes after engineer Nickolas Tuten called another firefighter the N-word.

"He is a public servant whose salary is paid for by all communities of Orlando," Meeks said. "He does not deserve this honor. His presence dishonors the entire fire department."

Tuten and other firefighters were preparing for dessert at the firehouse when he blurted out the N-word.

"Roger made a comment about me eating dessert first and made a comment. I know there are different discrepancies about exactly what was said, but he said something about my weight," Tuten said during an interview. "And I responded to him, or just as a general comment, ‘No, let the (expletive) eat first.'

He remained employed, after he was demoted, an arbitrator ruled the city had to reinstate him to his previous rank.

Firefighters said the city should not tolerate that behavior and should do better.

"It's about what's right and what's wrong," said firefighter Kevin Riley. "We are the city beautiful. We are on a world scale and, if we allow thing like that to happen to our people that are working for us, how is the public supposed to trust us?"

The mayor and the union have agreed to sit down, and changes could soon be made.

Commissioner Patti Sheehan addressed the firefighters at the meeting, saying the comment was unacceptable and calling it an embarrassment to the city of Orlando.