LANSING, Mich. — Lansing is not denying that a black firefighter found a banana on his fire truck, but the city says there was no racial discrimination or harassment against Michael Lynn.
Lynn is suing the city.
He says he found the banana pinned between the windshield and the wiper blade on a truck at fire station one on March 14th of 2017.
Lynn claims this is one of several instances of discrimination he's faced.
The city responded to the lawsuit, which was filed in January, in federal court on Tuesday.
Last week Mayor Schor responded to reports of racial tension by saying his administration is working to recruit a diverse staff, including at the fire department.
Two days later, former Lansing Fire Chief Randy Talifarro criticized the mayor in an open letter in which he raised questions about the mayor's hiring practices.
Schor met with the NAACP on Tuesday, saying that the meeting was productive.
Talifarro is still the fire chief in East Lansing.
He ran both departments for six years before resigning from Lansing last summer.
In his letter, he said one of his reasons for leaving is that Mayor Schor didn't ask his opinion on several important issues.
We'll keep you updated on the lawsuit.
