Man Fired Over Noose May Get Torrance Job Back

Larry Yarbrough could barely contain his delight when he heard Tuesday that he might get his old job back after being fired for allegedly hanging a “noose” above a black colleague’s desk in the Torrance Water Division.

“This is the best news I’ve ever received in my life,” Yarbrough said. “The weather was hot today, but you can’t believe the goose bumps I had on my arms when I heard the decision.”

An independent arbitrator decided Monday that the city of Torrance did not have just cause last year to fire Yarbrough, 48, a white technician, after a noose was found above the desk of Alan Lee, a black meter reader with the water department.

Hearing officer George E. Marshall Jr., an African American, decided that Yarbrough offered a possible explanation for the rope being over Lee’s desk. Yarbrough had told city officials and hearing officers that he found the rope on the floor, tripped over it and tossed it aside. The rope might have gotten caught on the lighting fixture above his colleague’s desk, he said, or someone might have placed it there later.

No one ever saw Yarbrough touch the rope and in fact another employee said the rope had been on the office floor earlier in the day; Yarbrough freely told investigators that he had tossed it aside.

After working for the city for 14 years, Yarbrough was fired Sept. 7 for the July 27 incident.

Kathy Keane, assistant to City Manager Leroy Jackson, wrote a dismissal letter last year, saying she was firing Yarbrough after his supervisor, City Engineer Richard Burtt, concluded that Yarbrough violated city administrative codes by allegedly dangling a noose of nylon rope over Lee’s desk.

Yarbrough said racism was the last thing on his mind when he stumbled over the rope and tossed it aside. He added that he had only known Lee for a couple of weeks and harbors no racial prejudices.

The hearing officer’s decision is expected to be formalized by the Torrance Civil Service Commission, which will decide whether to return Yarbrough to his $18-an-hour job and reimburse him for lost wages and benefits. City official were not available for comment.