Former Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston was fired by the Board of Selectmen Wed. Oct. 5, at a public hearing that he requested, according to the Boston Globe. Alston, who is Black, is currently a plaintiff in a discrimination lawsuit against the town stemming from a 2010 incident where a superior left him a voicemail that included a racist epithet. Alston has not worked since 2013, when he was placed in paid administrative leave and has since been transferred to unpaid leave.

Alston requested the public hearing in which he gave a 17 minute speech before the Selectmen voted unanimously to fire him. Alston’s case has become a rallying cry in a greater case against systemic racism in Brookline. Alston’s allegations are similar to those against the Police Department by Officers Prentice Pilot and Estifanos Zerai-Misgun.

The Town of Brookline issued this press release after the meeting.