CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Fire employee who spoke out against the department Monday night at City Council said she is being bullied and harassed by her superiors.
Linda Lockhart, the first African-American female firefighter in Charlotte, now works as a storekeeper for the department.
Lockhart told city leaders Monday that they need to investigate the department's diversity and minority hiring practices. Lockhart was interviewed by Eyewitness News Reporter Joe Bruno after her speech to council. Channel 9 has reported extensively on allegations that Charlotte Fire routinely engages in unfair and arbitrary promotional processes.
[Charlotte's fire chief accused of not promoting women, minorities]
According to Lockhart she was called into her supervisor's office Tuesday and was told by him, "I'm tired of you," and "I'm tired of you making mistakes." Lockhart's supervisor, Damian Owens, is being promoted to division chief on Friday.
"I'm walking on eggshells right now," Lockhart said. "They want me to shut up and go in the corner."
The City of Charlotte refused to comment on the claims and referred Channel 9 to a statement from last month saying, "The City of Charlotte seriously considers and evaluates employee complaints. Charlotte Fire Department has a comprehensive promotional process for its leadership roles. The department encourages all eligible personnel to participate."
Mayor Jennifer Roberts tells Channel 9 that City Manager Marcus Jones is investigating the allegations raised by Lockhart.
"This is a serious matter," Roberts said. "We want every employee to be valued and most importantly we want our department to reflect our city."
While the city wouldn't comment directly on the allegations, three sources confirm to Channel 9 that Jones is reviewing Chief Jon Hannan's status.
Lockhart said new leadership is needed. Despite feeling uncomfortable at work, she says she is not going to stop talking until things change
"If you keep it closed, nothing is going to change," she said. "So you need to put it out there."
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