Evanston Firefighters Pose for Pro-Trump Photo

City investigating post showing four Evanston firefighters wearing Trump masks on inauguration day

Yesterday, the below photo was posted to the r/Evanston reddit community in a thread titled Our Fire Department all celebrating the inauguration in matching Trump masks. The photo shows four Evanston Firefighters (identified by their jackets and shirts) wearing Trump masks with the number #47 added to the lower right corner.

There is a large redaction in the lower left corner of the photo. I reached out to the user who posted the photo and asked regarding the redaction. The user commented;

The redaction was intended to protect the source who sent it to me. It was nothing critical to the rest of the photo.

It’s not clear where this photo was originally posted or at what time.

Multiple independent sources in the City have confirmed that the photo is authentic. The Fire Chief sent out an email yesterday, apologizing to the Mayor and City Council. I’ve FOIA’ed a copy of this record but do not have it yet. According to the City Spokesperson, an investigation is underway;

The City is aware of the online post and cannot comment further on a pending internal investigation.

This post comes on the same day that the City of Evanston hosted a Know Your Rights Workshop at City Hall, attended by the Mayor and House Representative Jan Schakowsky. Mayor Biss has been an outspoken promoter of the City’s Upgraded Welcoming City Ordinance, including publishing an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune on January 17th.

This type of political photo while on the job, is in violation of the City’s ethics code, which states the following;

(F) Prohibited Campaign or Political Activity.

No covered person shall intentionally require any employee to and no employee while on compensated time shall intentionally:

(a) Use any City property or resources in connection with any campaign or political activity;

(b) Participate in any political activity for the benefit of any campaign for elective office or any political organization;

Fundamentally, the concern is that politicizing the Fire Department in this manner may dissuade individuals, especially those with immigration concerns, from calling the fire department in an emergency. This is a particularly salient issue for all residents who live in shared spaces, such as apartments or condos.

A similar issue came up in the comment section a few days ago, regarding an email sent from a Nichols Middle School administrator promoting a candidate for School Board. In response, District 65 sent an email to staff reminding them to avoid promoting political candidate on work time.