Atlanta will pay damages to the Fire Chief it fired because he wrote a book about his Christian faith.
The Atlanta city council this week acquiesced to a federal court victory in December for former Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, whose employment was terminated because of his Christian beliefs. The city agreed to pay the decorated civil servant $1.2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees.
On November 24, 2014, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed suspended Cochran for 30 days and announced that he would have to complete “sensitivity training” after complaints were received about a men’s devotional book Cochran had written on his personal time. Biblical sexual morality is mentioned only briefly in the 162-page book, and an investigation that included interviews with employees found Cochran did not discriminate against anyone. Regardless, the mayor fired him, citing as his basis the need to tolerate diverse views.
Following last year’s federal district court ruling in favor of the chief, NRB President & CEO Dr. Jerry A. Johnson said, “Kelvin is a hero among heroes. Not only is he a highly decorated firefighter, but he is a proven man of faith in our Lord who has stood bravely and winsomely in the face of intolerance and injustice.”
Johnson also declared, “such discrimination is reprehensible and unconstitutional.”