Kelvin J. Cochran (born January 23, 1960) is an author, public speaker, former administrator of the United States Fire Administration, and former Fire Chief of Atlanta Fire Department. He was fired from the Atlanta fire department after he wrote a book for members of his church expressing biblical views on sexuality, adultery, and homosexuality.
Kelvin J. Cochran | |
|---|---|
 | |
| U.S. Fire Administrator | |
| In office January 1, 2009 – May 8, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Gregory B. Cade |
| Succeeded by | Glenn A. Gaines |
| Fire Chief, Atlanta Fire Department, Atlanta, Georgia | |
| In office August 16, 2010 – January 6, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Joel G. Baker |
| Succeeded by | Joel G. Baker (named Interim Chief) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 23, 1960 Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Residence(s) | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Occupation | Fire chief; author |
Early life
editCochran was first hired by Shreveport Fire Department in 1981 serving as a trainer and assistant fire chief. Mayor Keith Hightower later appointed him the first African-American fire chief of Shreveport, Louisiana August 26, 1999.[1] He helped the New Orleans Fire Department in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina[2] and went on to serve positions in the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) from 2006 to 2007.
He worked under mayor Kasim Reed starting January 2, 2008, for Atlanta Fire Department, prior to being appointed US Fire Administrator in July 2009 by President Barack Obama where he worked extensively with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Department of Homeland Security to prevent fires and improve fire response. He maintained this role until returning to Atlanta on May 8, 2010, and being re-appointed as Fire Chief of Atlanta Fire Department August 16, 2010.[3]
Suspension and firing
editCochran was suspended for 30 days without pay starting November 24, 2014, for distributing to employees a book he had written, Who Told You That You Were Naked?, which expressed Cochran's religious views which included calling homosexuality and lesbianism a perversion and which mayor Kasim Reed considered to be discriminatory against LGBT people.[4] On January 6, 2015, after returning from the suspension, he was informed that he would have to resign or be terminated.[5][6]
A rally was held in Atlanta on January 13 in support of Cochran, with various leaders of faith attending including Bishop Wellington Boone, president of the Fellowship of International Churches.[7]
Deputy Chief Joel Baker has replaced Cochran as the active fire chief of Atlanta Fire Department.[8]
On February 18, 2015, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Cochran by the public interest law organization Alliance Defending Freedom on grounds of "religious discrimination" against the City of Atlanta. The case, Cochran v. City of Atlanta, was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.[9] A petition on March 25 for the case to be dismissed was denied.[10] On October 14, May said she would soon issue her ruling.[11] On December 16, 2015, Judge May ruled that the lawsuit could proceed.[12]
$1.2 million payout by City of Atlanta
editOn December 20, 2017, United States District Court Judge Leigh Martin May upheld his firing and also ruled that as an "at-will" employee, his firing was legal. However, the judge noted that "rules cited in Cochran’s dismissal that require city employees to get pre-clearance for outside employment could stifle speech unconstitutionally and also failed to define the standards to be used when judging a potential conflict of interest." Furthermore, the City "conducted an extensive review of the facts and the law and concluded that the cost of continuing to defend against the lawsuit would far exceed the cost to settle. The $1.2 million includes a settlement and attorneys’ fees."[13]
Bibliography
edit- Who Told You That You Were Naked? Paperback, ISBN 978-0985496852
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Oral History Project – Civil Rights; Kelvin J. Cochran". Archived from the original on February 6, 2015.
- ^ "Meet the Chief: Kelvin Cochran, Atlanta Fire Department". FireRescue1. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Fire Department Members". Atlanta.gov. Archived from the original on August 29, 2013.
- ^ "Atlanta fire chief suspended after distributing his religious book to employees". Washington Post. November 26, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Fire chief defends his stance on homosexuality". Times-Herald. January 7, 2015. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Fire chief fired after gay comments in book". USA Today. January 7, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Rally backs fired Atlanta fire chief whose book has anti-gay comments". CNN. January 13, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ^ "Atlanta Chief Cochran Suspended After Penning Book Condemning Homosexuality". Firehouse. November 24, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Former Atlanta fire chief sues over his firing". Times-Herald. February 20, 2015. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (March 26, 2015). "Ex-Atlanta Fire Chief Cochran didn't get written permission to write religious book: City lawyers – Attorneys seek dismissal of his wrongful-firing lawsuit". Washington Times. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
- ^ Wetzstein, Cheryl (October 14, 2015). "Attorneys for Kelvin Cochran tell court he was wrongfully terminated". Washington Times. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Beasley, David (December 17, 2015). "Lawsuit by ex-Atlanta fire chief critical of homosexuality to proceed". Reuters. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ "Atlanta City Council Votes To Settle Ex-Fire Chief's Lawsuit For $1.2 Million". CBS Atlanta. Associated Press. October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
Atlanta's City Council has voted to settle a $1.2 million lawsuit brought by the city's former fire chief who was dismissed after he wrote a book that included anti-gay passages.