Judge Questions Firing of Blackface Firefighters, Cop in 1998
NYC Parade  A federal judge cast doubt on the city's quick
firing in 1998 of two firefighters who wore blackface on a Labor
Day parade float.  NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal judge cast doubt
on the city's quick firing in 1998 of two firefighters and a
police officer who wore blackface on a Labor Day parade float.
The men said in a civil rights lawsuit that the float, titled
``Black to the Future: 2098,'' was a parody designed to
entertain and should be protected by the First Amendment. They
want their jobs back.  Then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani declared that
the men would be fired soon after the parade in a Queens
neighborhood. He testified he was worried the men's racial
insensitivity would lead to riots.  But U.S. District Judge John
E. Sprizzo cautioned a city lawyer Thursday that the mayor
needed actual evidence the racism would cause disruption _ not
just a belief.  ``You've got to be very careful in First
Amendment cases to maintain the barriers, be