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No one expects you to get fired if you follow your boss’ instructions. But that’s exactly what happened to fire chief Ron Hittle when the Global Leadership Conference he attended was deemed a “religious event” by the city of Stockton, California.
Chief Hittle, who has protected the life and property of the community for 24 years, was dismissed not for disobeying orders, but for his religious beliefs and activities.
This week, attorneys for the First Liberty Institute, Baker Botts LLP, and Church State Council asked the United States Court of Appeals panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court decision allowing Stockton to fire Chief Hittle. I asked.
After defending the community for 24 years, Stockton Fire Chief Ron Hittle was fired for his religious beliefs and activism, not for disobeying orders. (iStock)
After being told by city officials to “improve the staff’s leadership skills”, Chief Hitl weighed his options and chose the meeting he believed would be most beneficial and satisfy his superior’s objectives. In an act of pure religious discrimination, Stockton officials treated Chief Hittle as if he had broken the law simply because the meeting was held in a church. The only law broken was the dismissal of Chief Hittle for exercising religious freedom.
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The meeting he and three other Stockton Fire Department officers attended was the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, which included speakers with expertise in a variety of areas. Lectures by notable business and religious leaders included nationally acclaimed business thinker Jim Collins. Tony Dungey, 2007 Super Bowl winning coach. Best-selling author and business thinker Daniel Pink. TD Jakes, Senior Pastor of Potter’s House. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.
Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungey was one of the speakers at the Leadership Conference. (icon sports wire)
Chief Hittor and his entourage paid for their entrance to the conference with their own funds. They attended to gather valuable insights from renowned experts to strengthen their leadership role for the city of Stockton and the people they served. Although it protects the right to live without fear of employment termination for belief, the city of Stockton has ignored the law.
Attendance at so-called “religious functions” was specifically mentioned in the dismissal notice issued by the city to Chief Hitl. City investigators determined that it was one of Chief Hittor’s “most serious alleged misdeeds”. The city’s action was a clear violation of federal law “prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”
The City of Stockton’s decision to remove Chief Hittor for attending this “religious event” not only violated his right to freedom of religion under the U.S. It also denigrates the opinion of experts in
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The mere fact that the content shared by both secular and religious leaders occurred in a church environment does not invalidate the doctrine of leadership. The venue of the conference, whether it is a venue, a high school gymnasium, etc., does not change the values and integrity of the Global Leadership Conference, which has been attended by both religious and non-religious individuals for 25 years. – Religious people around the world.
Federal law protects the freedom of all Americans to live without fear of being fired simply for their convictions. Chief Hitler clearly carried out the instructions of his superiors when he attended his summit, but was dismissed anyway.
Now is the time for courts to recognize that religious discrimination in the workplace, such as that in Stockton, California, is unacceptable.
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