‘Lynching is not a joke’: Delaware lawmakers condemn firefighters accused of using a noose and making racist remarks

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Delaware lawmakers are condemning the actions of two former Millville firefighters arrested this week following a hate crime investigation.

State police say in February 2024, Jay Droney and Jordan Hastings chased another Millville Volunteer Fire Company employee with a noose and made racist remarks. Police say Droney continued to make racist remarks on several occasions after that.

Police were notified about the incident earlier this month by the volunteer fire company. The men turned themselves in after warrants were issued for their arrest.

House Democratic leaders released a statement denouncing the men’s behavior, saying “lynching is not a joke.”

“It is something that many of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles lived in fear of and fought against,” said House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown, House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris and House Majority Whip Ed Osienski. “It is something that Black Americans still unfortunately live in fear of.”

The NAACP defines lynching as a public execution of an individual without due process. It was used to terrorize and control Black residents in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly in the South.

Delaware is not immune from the history of the violence of lynching. George White, a Black farm laborer, was lynched in 1903 near Wilmington by a white mob. White had been accused of murdering a white girl, but claimed he was innocent. He was awaiting trial when a local minister urged a mob to exact vengeance on him. In 2019, a historic marker telling that story was stolen just a month after it was installed.

Minor-Brown made history earlier this year by becoming the first Black woman to become House speaker.

State senators on both sides of the aisle also released a statement condemning the incident.

“Hate has no place in our firehouses, our communities, or anywhere in our state,” said a statement from the Senate Majority and Minority caucuses. “The fire service exists to protect life and property without prejudice or bias. The behavior described in this case violates not only the law, but the trust and dignity that should define public service.”

Droney and Hastings have been charged with a hate crime, conspiracy in the second degree — both are felonies — and harassment. They were released on their own recognizance. They are no longer members of the fire company.