Firefighter opposed to race-based hiring gets KKK pillowcase

Associated Press:

A city firefighter who opposes race-based hiring quotas in the fire department said he found a white pillowcase hung on his locker that referenced the Ku Klux Klan.

Fire Lt. Joseph Montague said he found the pillowcase Friday when he showed up for work at his engine company in the city's Mount Airy section. The pillowcase had eyes and the initials "KKK" drawn with a green marker.

"I was scared," Montague told WCAU-TV. "I was very scared. I kind of took it as a threat and a warning. The threat being 'We know who you are, where you work and we're watching you.'"

Montague is vice president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Concerned American Fire Fighters Association, which opposes hiring quotas. Michael Bresnan, president of the chapter, said he believes the pillowcase was related to Montague's role in the group.

A 32-year-old agreement, once overseen by a federal judge, sets aside 12 percent of each class at the city fire academy for black applicants.

"Unfortunately, some people perceive that as a race issue," Montague said. "Any time race is involved and you're a white person, I guess you're automatically included in the Ku Klux Klan."

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