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The Stentorians are a black fraternal organization of firefighters in the Los Angeles Fire Department that was founded in 1954. Firefighter Arnett Hartsfield, Jr. organized the Stentorians in response to the difficulties in the integration of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles was an area of sprawling American Craftsmen Style homes of mostly white residents, which by 1930 had changed to predominantly black. By 1950 it was home to two historic all-black segregated fire stations (Fire Station No. 14〔http://www.legeros.com/history/ebf/images2/image021.jpg〕 and Fire Station No. 30).〔http://websta.me/p/848059193888843232_224134072〕 By the 50’s the largest African-American newspaper on the West Coast, the California Eagle (1879–1964), owned and operated by Charlotta Bass, was taken over by its former writer turned City Editor, Lawyer Loren Miller. An early proponent (1920’s under Editor J.B Bass 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The California Eagler )〕 and followed by Charlotta) of integration and Civil Rights, the Eagle pushed for diversity and ran editorials against segregation as part of its platform. The Bass home is listed in the 52nd Place Historic District which is in the US National Register of Historic Places. In 1954 Loren Miller, active in the local NAACP, pushed to integrate the LAFD. One of the newspaper’s targets in 1954-55 was the Fire Chief Engineer of Los Angeles, John H. Alderson, whom the black readership identified as a staunch segregationist who was perceived as preventing the integration of the LAFD. After the 1954 Supreme Court decision in re: Brown vs Board of Ed and others, Alderson asked the city’s attorney whether the decision affected his dept, to which came back in the affirmative. Based on this the Chief assigned men from the segregated houses to all-white fire houses beginning what was to become a year of crisis for the LAFD. Newspaper writers penned articles both pro〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Untitled Document )〕 and con〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Fighting racial barriers with fire )〕 integration and while firefighters came together while fighting fires, the rest of the time spent in the firehouse was for the most part their own. With the introduction of blacks to all-white firehouse’s, and in particular Fire Station #10, the customary rituals between brother firefighters turned to the dark side, and those firehouses became tense battlegrounds at night, by the end of the following year some black firefighters had taken to being armed for their own protection, fearing retribution for some slight published in the papers or reported in the nightly newscasts or heard on radio broadcasts. The Stentorians, a fraternal group of black firefighters was founded in 1954, taking their name from the Greek word, "stentor", (meaning a powerful voice). They espoused non-violence and adopted the slogan, "We only fight the department on integration". The Stentorians decided that, to protect the men, a round-the-clock patrol would deploy to guard the black firefighters at Fire Station 10. CBS Channel 2 news ran newscasts of recordings after a reporter provided the Stentorians with special microphones to record the night-long hazings.〔http://articles.latimes.com/1997/dec/13/news/mn-63537/2〕〔http://www.studymode.com/essays/Case-Analysis-Lafd-64491148.html〕 The media's response to events was perceived by the firefighters as inconsistent, as was that of the fire commission. Chief Alderson retired at the end of the year and Deputy Chief Frank Rothermel became interim chief engineer; he remained in the post until Alderson's successor was named. William L. Miller became the Fire Chief Engineer on January 17, 1956. Miller undertook the process of integrating the LAFD. With some white firefighters backing integration and receiving punishment for it,〔The LAFD Centennial 1886-1986 pages 92, 146-153 by Paul Ditzel.〕〔https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141117013134-30645231-tell-your-children-about-the-rookie〕〔http://articles.latimes.com/1997/dec/13/news/mn-63537〕 the tide had turned against segregation and Miller went ahead and transferred black and white firefighters to Fire Station 7 at 2824 S. Main Street. Calling it an ‘experiment’, Miller had chosen men he knew were not opposed to integration for the assignment at Fire Station 7〔http://ourweekly.com/news/2013/may/15/fighting-fires-and-racism-the-magnificent-seven/〕〔http://www.mysafela.org/lafd-legend-arnett-hartsfield/〕. == The History of the Los Angeles Fire Department and the segregated Firehouse at Station 30== The history of African-American firefighters in the LAFD began to take shape in the 1940s and 50's when individual firefighters and officers began organizing and making their voices heard. As their numbers in the ranks grew, slowly at first but; with the return of many blacks after serving in the military overseas they stood firm that there was a place for them at the table of Civil Service. Many, once appointed, were ostracized〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Firefighter Who Stood Up to Bigotry at Station Honored )〕 by their fellow firefighters, so the model of a fraternal organization was used across the country in forming groups, most notably the Vulcan Society of the FDNY and the Stentorians of the LAFD, for them to join. Within those groups, black firefighters found solace among their brethren by holding their own affairs and allying themselves with other ostracized groups like the Jewish firefighters whom the mostly Irish (and catholic) white firefighters opposed being part of firehouse life. The Battle for integration began with the Mayoral election of 1953. The Newly elected Mayor wanted to install his own Fire Chief, and sought a pretext to oust the current head of the LAFD, Fire Chief Engineer John Alderson. A month after taking office, he was given a petition backed by the NAACP〔 (【引用サイトリンク】Historic Resources Associated with African Americans in Los Angeles MPS )〕 that protested that the LAFD did not represent the people it served because it was not integrated.〔http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/afam/2010/Cover-AfricanAmericansinLA.pdf Sec E pg18〕 The Mayor, no fan of fair employment practices, sought to use this petition to get the fire commission to fire the chief engineer. Alderson wanted no interference from city hall but then was beset on another front. When the fire commission ordered him to produce a plan on integration and the white ranks learned of this, they raised $500,000 and formed a Fact Finding Committee to investigate whether integration was possible and petitioned the fire commission to hold any decision until Oct 14, 1954. Before the results of this committee was heard, the commissioners ordered Alderson to integrate, which he began to do. 4 black firefighters were sent to other houses from the 2 segregated ones and tensions ramped up, of course the Fact Finding Committee reported back to the commission that under no circumstances should integration occur. By then, the firehouses that were integrated〔4b. The federal reporter, Volume 813, Pub. 1987 Cases (United States Court of Appeals)- firehouse racial tension 1954〕 became hellhouses for the black firefighters. Nightly hazing had become warped and degrading,〔http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20070922/143-million-deal-in-lafd-hazing-suit〕 and when 6 more blacks were sent to Old #10, the tension was palpable. It had gotten so bad, by the end of 1955, Chief Alderson removed the men from the white firehouses (so-called ‘Hate Houses’),〔4a. Cases Adjudged, Volume 259 Cases adjudged, Author United States. Court of Appeals (District of Columbia Circuit) Publisher- West Publishing Company, 1987 - firehouse racial tension 1954〕 for their safety, much to the chagrin of the fire commission, which then fired him for insubordination. Wearied by the year's events and vilified by ''the Eagles〔http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/afam/2010/Cover-AfricanAmericansinLA.pdf Sec E pg29〕 campaign to remove the segregationist, Alderson announced that he would retire at years end. The commission sheepishly let the dismissal drop, as it seemed they were being petty firing the retiring chief engineer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Stentorians」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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