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Collierville firefighter alleges racist bullying at work

By , Daily Memphian Published: June 15, 2024 4:00 AM CT

A complaint by a Collierville firefighter that he was the victim of racist bullying led to an oral reprimand of his lieutenant, according to an internal investigation by town officials.

But the review also cited a number of issues against Randy Houston, the Black firefighter who filed the complaint, saying he was difficult to get along with in the closed environment of the fire station.

The results of the investigation by the town’s Fire Department, and reviewed by human resources, were released this week through an open-records request. In the complaint, filed in March, Houston cited “instances of behavior that have been unsettling,” with most of his complaints directed at Lt. Glen Baurnfind, who is white.

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Collierville Fire Department Collierville Subscriber Only

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Abigail Warren

Abigail Warren

Abigail Warren is an award-winning reporter and covers Collierville and Germantown for The Daily Memphian. She was raised in the Memphis suburbs, attended Westminster Academy and studied journalism at the University of Memphis. She has been with The Daily Memphian since 2018.


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