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Brookline selectmen to pursue outside review of firefighter’s case

The Brookline Board of Selectmen announced Friday it would retain an outside attorney to review the case of an African-American firefighter who said he has been ostracized since complaining in 2010 that his white supervisor had left a racial slur on his voice mail.

The board’s statement came after Gerald Alston requested last month that an outside attorney review his allegations of discrimination and harassment by other firefighters and town officials after he complained about the incident.

Then-Lieutenant Paul Pender was suspended for several days, after explaining that the words on the voice mail were aimed at a black driver who cut him off at the same time he had called Alston on his cellphone. Pender has since been promoted to captain.

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“He has since repeatedly acknowledged his regret and remorse,” the selectmen’s statement said of Pender.

Alston’s letter also asked the board to reverse a number of determinations, including placing him on paid administrative leave last December after he made a comment in frustration to a co-worker upon discovering that someone had scribbled the word “leave” on a chair where his jacket was draped.

While the board’s announcement Friday disputed some of Alston’s statements about how his case was previously investigated, it said the attorney will review “whether there are additional ‘best practices’ that the town should consider adopting going forward.”

The statement also said the town would ask its chief diversity officer and its newly constituted Commission on Diversity, Inclusion & Community Relations to review “the racial climate in the town’s workforce, with the assistance of an outside consultant if needed.”

The town is also “actively seeking to work collaboratively with Mr. Alston regarding his work status,” the statement said, and will work with Alston and his lawyer “in an effort to return him to work as soon as possible, to a workplace in which he and his co-workers will all feel safe, supported, and mutually respected.”

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Reached by telephone Friday afternoon, Alston scoffed at the town’s statement and called it little more than a diversionary tactic.

“The only thing they’re promising to do is review the process,” Alston said. “It’s the same thing over and over again, and they’re not coming to any kind of end result, period. They will drag this on forever, hoping I go away.”

Alston said he feels that the town’s statement is tone deaf because it hints at Pender’s use of the racial slur being less egregious if it was aimed at someone else.

“Whether he was referring to me or not, he is in a place of authority,” Alston said. “He could have used any other words. And as long as Brookline continues to allow stuff like this to happen, there’s going to be people in Brookline who think it’s OK to act like this. ”


James Burnett can be reached at james.burnett@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesBurnett