I hope people who read the story about Dr. Bill Kincaid feel that a reasonable person, black or white, might believe that there was a rush to judgment here and that there is arguably not cause either for his firing or for accepting his resignation. I thought Dr. Kincaid expressed well what he said and the context in which he said it, and his sadness for what happened and how people will unfairly remember him.
If he was doing a good job, and those in his department could accept him continuing to do his work after the full story was known, then it is the city’s loss – including the community of poor, often people of color, whom his department serves – that he not be allowed to continue in that position. Railroading a person, including accepting his resignation, is never right without full dialogue and fairness, regardless of the color of the person in question and those calling for his discipline.
Bill Haas
St. Louis