JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Denver7 has obtained internal emails exchanged by Golden city leaders from the days leading up to the public announcement of a "deeply disturbing and racist act" within the fire department. One of those emails, sent by the person in charge of communicating with the community, said the way the city initially handled the matter was "unacceptable."
Previously, a statement prepared by the city manager and read by Mayor Laura Weinberg, said that in March of this year a Black doll was "found hanging by its neck from a rope in a fire station stairwell."
The novelty doll was called a “Snoop on the Stoop," designed to model Snoop Dogg as a parody to the popular “Elf on a Shelf” doll.
Denver7 political reporter Colette Bordelon has more on those internal emails in the video below:
The employee responsible for hanging the doll, according to city leaders, was fired. When exactly that employee was let go is unclear, but the announcement of their termination was on July 28 at the same time as the first public statement from the city about the incident.
On Thursday afternoon, city employees received an email from Interim City Manager Carly Lorentz and the correspondence was shared with Denver7 by an anonymous staff member.
The email informed those working within the city that Golden Fire Chief Kasey Beal was terminated, effective immediately.
"I understand there may be mixed feelings about this decision, and I have heard the strong perspectives some of you have shared," Lorentz said in the email. "Please know that this decision was not made lightly. It is based on additional information I received this week surrounding the incident. My responsibility is to consider the well-being of the entire City organization, and I believe this step is necessary."
Beal's termination comes during the same week that Golden City Council voted unanimously to terminate City Manager Scott Vargo's employment.
"It's unfortunate the city manager's leadership and management style no longer meets my expectations. I believe it has unfortunately become dismissive, defensive, lacking compassion, and we need to move on. The City of Golden deserves better right now," said Councilor Lisa Vitry during Tuesday's meeting.
Golden
Golden Fire Chief on leave after public learns about racist doll incident: Email
Two anonymous City of Golden employees told Denver7 they are considering leaving their jobs with the city since they do not believe this incident was handled appropriately.
"A Black man hanging from a noose is a sign on violence that has been a part of U.S. history for hundreds of years," one of them said. "It showed me that the city does not care about discrimination, racist words, racist comments, racist gestures. They just don't care. They'd rather sweep it under the rug and not be held accountable for their actions.”
The two employees also called for the resignation of both the city manager and fire chief.
"How can we, as employees, trust the system and trust that the most blatant and most racist incidents are not going to be addressed?” the employee asked. “To say that I'm over underwhelmed by management's response, the city council's response, the mayor's response, the city manager's response, is the understatement of the century.”
Denver7 asked why they believe this has all come to light recently, when the actual doll was discovered hanging inside of a fire station in March.
“The city decided to keep it under wraps for months," one of them said about the doll incident. "I believe that the city going public was because enough people had found out, and it had gotten out from the city manager and the fire department and spread to other sources within the city."
Through a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request, Denver7 obtained emails sent to and from then-City Manager Scott Vargo between July 23 and 27 related to the doll incident.
July 24
The email that appears to have started a larger conversation about the incident, months after it happened in March, was sent by a city employee on July 24.
In the "Open Letter to City Leadership regarding racism and accountability," the employee said they recently learned about the doll incident, which "fundamentally changed the way I view the City of Golden as both an employer and an institution that I believed stood for integrity, justice, and respect for every member of its workforce and community."
The employee said what they heard about the doll was more than just offensive, it was "deeply personal."
"A noose is not a joke," the employee continued. "It is one of the most recognizable symbols of racial terror in American history. For generations, it has represented intimidation, violence, and the dehumanization of Black people. That history cannot be separated from its meaning today. Using that symbol in a workplace — particularly by public employees entrusted with serving every member of the community — is unacceptable."
What was equally painful for this particular employee was the City of Golden's response.
Vargo, the city manager at the time, replied to the employee that afternoon and apologized for the impact of the situation. Vargo continued to say that "no one should be made to feel anything less than valued, respected, and supported as a member of our team."
The response from Vargo noted that some of the information originally shared by the employee was "incomplete, and in some cases inaccurate." The email goes on to explain that a "Snoop on the Stoop" doll was moved around to different spots during the holiday season within a Golden Fire Department Station.
In a description of the incident that closely matched the public statement read the following week, Vargo said the doll was "found dangling from a rope within the station" by a "shocked and upset employee." According to Vargo, it was taken down immediately.
"An internal investigation was initiated, which led to significant disciplinary action and resulted in the engagement of an outside consultant to develop and roll out meaningful culture and DEI education and training for the entire Golden Fire Department," Vargo wrote in his reply. "The incident was handled with the seriousness warranted by the symbolism of terror you referenced, and conduct involving such symbolism will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
In his response, Vargo said city leaders do not typically share personnel actions or conduct violations internally or externally.
July 25
The City of Golden employee replied on July 25 and said Vargo's email felt "dismissive."
"It seemed to focus more on correcting facts, protecting the City's image, and defending the decisions that followed than on acknowledging the City employees affected by this racist behavior," the employee wrote. "As a result, my experience felt minimized rather than recognized."
While the employee acknowledged that not every detail of their original email was factually accurate, they continued to say that was not why they wrote the open letter. Instead, they voiced their frustration that a Black doll was "hanging by a noose" inside of a city workplace and they were not told about it until months later.
"What has been most difficult is that your email ultimately left me with the impression that the City believes the matter was handled appropriately and that there is little left to discuss," the employee email read. "Whether or not that was your intent, that is how it landed."
July 26
Deputy Fire Chief Sean Jones, who is currently serving as Interim Fire Chief, sent an email on July 26 to fire staff and volunteers following up on Vargo's correspondence about the doll incident.
"As our organization continues the difficult work of learning and growing from this regrettable event, it recently became apparent that incomplete — and in some cases inaccurate — information had circulated beyond the Fire Department, including among some of our partners within the Golden Police Department," Jones said in the email. "While those concerns were based on the information available to them at the time, they understandably led to questions about both our member's actions and the City's response to the situation."
Jones said the goal of Vargo's email, where he explained what happened to the "Snoop on the Stoop" doll, was to "ensure that misinformation did not continue to shape perceptions of what occurred or how it was addressed."
"The timing of his message was driven by the need to respond promptly to concerns that had been formally raised with City leadership," Jones continued. "It reflected a commitment to transparency where appropriate while respecting the confidentiality required in personnel matters."
Also on July 26, the Community Engagement and Communications Director for the City of Golden, Meredith Ritchie, sent an email to the rest of the management team where she directly states that "how this was handled was unacceptable."
The substantial email from Ritchie said she could not find a way to defend or justify how the incident was handled. What was "even more shocking" for Ritchie, based off of the information she heard from other staff members, was learning that the employee responsible for hanging the doll in the fire station remained employed with the city.
Ritchie, who is the conduit for media relations, said she was "excluded from the opportunity to help address this, support our employees, rebuild trust, or lead through one of the most significant crises our organization has faced in my time here."
At the time of the email, Ritchie said she was asked for feedback on decisions that were already made and after trust was already lost.
"That is not leadership," Ritchie said. "That is damage control."
Denver7 has copied the entire email sent by Ritchie to the rest of the management team at the bottom of this article.
Golden City Council Members Gerchard Pfau and Sandra Knecht comprise a temporary subcommittee tasked with selecting outside counsel for the third-party investigation into the March incident and how the city responded. According to the City of Golden, they are considering four referrals and their goal is to select one of those within the next two to three weeks. They will then bring a final recommendation before the entire City Council.
Denver7 has requested documents related to the initial investigation conducted by the City of Golden into the March incident as well.
Read the full email from Ritchie below:
Dear MTeam,
I have spent the weekend reflecting on the open letter from [name redacted by Denver7] and the intolerable act within the Fire Department, and I am left with a profound sense of heartbreak and anger.
I am not someone who reacts immediately to shocking information. I need time to process, reflect, and consider the full weight of what I have learned, and today, my sadness has only deepened. This weekend has felt absolutely crushing.
These are the moments that define who we are as leaders and as an organization. These are the moments when we either stand for what is right or reveal that our stated values are only words.
I have replayed what I know of this situation (which I recognize is very minimal) in my mind countless times since Friday, searching for a way to defend or justify how this was handled. I cannot find one. I decided remaining silent feels like a betrayal of my own integrity and of the colleagues I care deeply about which is why I have decided to share how I feel with all of MTeam.
I cannot comprehend how something like "Snoop on the Stoop" was ever allowed to exist in our workplace, let alone escalate to the point of a Black doll hanging from a noose inside a City facility. Intent does not excuse impact. Whether it was intended as a joke, whether someone "didn't mean any harm," or whether someone failed to understand the symbolism is irrelevant. None of those explanations make this acceptable. There is no workplace where this conduct should be tolerated. What is even more shocking is that, as far as I am aware from multiple staff members in the City, this person remains employed here.
After years of working to create a culture of safety, belonging, accountability, and inclusion, I cannot reconcile how this outcome aligns with the values we claim to uphold.
I struggle to imagine any circumstance where this should have resulted in anything other than immediate termination and immediate notification to MTeam so we could respond together, support our employees, and confront racism directly. Allowing someone who hung a noose to remain employed communicates that this behavior is survivable within our organization. Whether intended or not, that creates an environment that is perceived as unsafe.
I am responsible for leading people through difficult moments. I have spent the last three years intentionally building trust across departments because I believed we were working toward becoming one organization. Yesterday made it painfully clear that members of the Police Department no longer see me as trusted leader or a safe person to turn to. I have been grouped with leaders who were kept uninformed and, as a result, are now viewed as complicit or untrustworthy.
I was excluded from the opportunity to help address this, support our employees, rebuild trust, or lead through one of the most significant crises our organization has faced in my time here. Instead, I am now being asked for feedback after the decisions have already been made and after trust has already been lost. That is not leadership. That is damage control.
For that reason, I cannot reconcile the repeated message that we are "one team." A team requires trust, transparency, accountability, and shared responsibility. Those principles did not exist here.
Allowing someone who hung a noose in a City workplace to remain employed is not a neutral decision. It communicates that there are circumstances where this is conduct is acceptable. Whether that was the intended message or not, it is the message many employees have received.
I believed we were moving in a direction that reflected our values. I believed we were building an organization willing to confront racism instead of managing its optics. I am now very unclear who we are and what we represent.
However, I want there to be no ambiguity about where I stand with my team, with my colleagues, and within this organization.
This was unacceptable.
How this was handled was unacceptable.
And if we are serious about equity, inclusion, safety, and accountability, then our actions must demonstrate those values, not just our words.
I love my job. I love this community. I believe every one of us has a responsibility to execute our City values in action. Every day. And while these, too, are all just words, I only hope I am courageous enough to rebuild the trust I am not responsible for breaking through my actions every day forward at the City.
Your colleague and friend,
Meredith
