The son of a former New York City fire commissioner has been rehired despite tweeting several prejudiced comments.

Joseph Cassano, 26, resigned from his position at the Fire Department of New York after admitting to posting anti-Semitic and racist remarks. He was only five months out of the Emergency Medical Services Academy before leaving the FDNY.
On Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Cassano tweeted, “MLK can go kick rocks for all I care, but thanks for the time and a half today.” He also tweeted, “I like Jews about as much as hitler #toofar? NOPE.”

After his resignation, Cassano participated in counseling and community service with Rabbi Steven Burg and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Despite his inappropriate tweets, Cassano has stated that he is “in a great place today” and is confident that he will be “an asset to the Fire Department.” He also considered his tweets to be "very ignorant and very immature." 

Yet, not everyone has confidence in Cassano’s efforts to change his ways.

John Coombs, a former president of the Vulcan Society, stated that Cassano “does not care about a large segment of New Yorkers.” The Vulcan Society is an organization that serves to support African-American firefighters within the FDNY.

Despite the controversy surrounding his return, Cassano expressed gratitude for the opportunity to rejoin the force.

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(photo: NBC New York)