ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — The New York State Division of Human Rights announced the resolution of complaints against the Brookhaven, Levittown, and Holbrook Fire Districts and Departments regarding the display of Confederate flags and discriminatory membership policies.
The settlements, concluded between July 2024 and January 2025, require the respondents to pay $28,000 in civil fines and implement policy changes to prevent unlawful discrimination.
The complaints, originally filed in 2021, alleged that the Brookhaven and Levittown Fire Departments displayed Confederate flags on department property, violating the New York State Human Rights Law. The Brookhaven Fire Department was accused of displaying a Confederate flag on a fire truck during an event in August 2020, while the Levittown Fire Department’s drill team, known as the “Rebels,” used equipment featuring a cartoon character holding a Confederate flag…