GOLDEN, Colo. A member of the task force designed to support diversity within the City of Golden told Denver7 they were first notified this week about a racist incident from within the fire department that occurred in March of this year.
The Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force (REDI) was started in 2020, according to member Holly Olivarez. Olivarez claims the team first learned about the racist act where a Black doll was strung up by its neck with a rope in an email on Tuesday before it was announced publicly at Golden City Council.
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“We are very concerned at what we’ve heard about the facts, including the written statement read by the mayor that this was not handled at the time of the incident when the figurine was found with a noose around its neck back in March,” said Olivarez. “I call it a noose because of what it represents. A Black man with a noose around his neck in the United States of America is very apparently making a statement.”
On Tuesday, Denver7 reported on the independent investigation into the City of Golden and the Golden Fire Department after an employee hung a Black doll by a rope around its neck in a fire station stairwell earlier in the year.
A spokesperson with the City of Golden confirmed to Denver7 that the employee at the center of this investigation was terminated from their position. They did not elaborate on when that employee was fired, saying they cannot provide more details since it is a personnel matter.
Olivarez said the REDI Task Force will work to create a detailed plan of what they would like to see from the City of Golden moving forward.
Only when word got out that was out of the city manager’s control, that’s when we started to find out about some sort of accountability being taken,” said Olivarez. The public are actually, and the news media, are actually the ones that are forcing the conversation.
Denver7’s Colette Bordelon first learned about this issue from an anonymous source late last week. An interview with Golden’s City Manager Scott Vargo was canceled and instead, a prepared statement was read at a city council meeting on Tuesday.
Mayor Laura Weinberg read the statement at Tuesday evening’s meeting. That statement, which is copied in full at the bottom of this story, read that the “deeply disturbing and racist act” happened in March 2026 when a novelty doll called Snoop on a Stoop” and designed to model Snoop Dogg as a parody to the popular Elf on a Shelf doll was found hanging by its neck in a fire station stairwell.
During the holiday season beforehand, the doll was moved around the fire department. After it was found hanging in the stairwell, Mayor Weinberg, reading the statement, said it was immediately removed.
“The doll should never have been brought into any City facility, and the display evoked a horrific history of racial terror and violence,” the statement reads, adding that the city had failed its employees and community.
The statement also reads that the city acknowledges how employees in other city departments, who only recently learned about what had happened back in March, felt like the city’s response was not adequate.
“We are grateful to the employees who spoke up,” it reads. “Their voices prompted us to reflect on our response and acknowledge that we fell far short in our responsibility to City staff and our community.”
Denver7 also obtained internal emails that showed City Manager Vargo telling city employees that “a shocked and upset fire department employee saw the doll positioned in this way, and it was ordered to be taken down immediately.” His email continues, saying an internal investigation was launched and disciplinary action was taken. An outside consultant was hired to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion training for the Golden Fire Department. He acknowledged that he should have shared general information about the incident with other leaders beyond just the fire department.
“I want to sincerely apologize to our staff for the impact this situation has and will continue to have on our staff,” Vargo wrote in the email. “No one should be made to feel anything less than valued, respected, and supported as a member of our team, and this incident and response has left staff questioning mine and the Citys commitment to those values.”
Vargo wrote in the email that he has “a deep commitment to regaining and to repairing the damage done.”
In that same email, Vargo announced the City of Golden’s Annual Summer Picnic was rescheduled as well, saying “a celebratory event seems incongruent with the current situation.”
Denver7 submitted records requests related to the incident on Monday and is awaiting the results.
The full statement from the City of Golden about this incident is in full below.
In March 2026, a deeply disturbing and racist act occurred within the Golden Fire Department. A “Snoop on a Stoop” doll (in the likeness of Snoop Dogg), which had been moved around inside a fire station during the holiday season, was found hanging by its neck from a rope in a fire station stairwell. The doll should never have been brought into any City facility, and the display evoked a horrific history of racial terror and violence. The doll was removed immediately upon discovery. In subsequent months, the City initiated an internal investigation, took disciplinary action, and engaged an outside consultant to implement culture, equity, and inclusion training throughout the Golden Fire Department. Last week, employees in other City departments became aware of the incident and shared their deep disappointment in the response from City leadership. Their feedback made clear that our response did not adequately reflect the seriousness of this incident or the impact it had on our employees and community. We are grateful to the employees who spoke up. Their voices prompted us to reflect on our response and acknowledge that we fell far short in our responsibility to City staff and our community. As a result of those conversations and further review, the employee responsible for the act is no longer employed by the City of Golden Fire Department. In addition, an independent, third-party investigation will be undertaken to understand the broader context in which this situation was able to occur, the response that followed, what further consequences or actions need to be taken, and how to avoid this in future. To our employees, residents, visitors, and every member of our community, especially our Black community and all those who have experienced racism or discrimination, we are profoundly sorry. We recognize this was not simply an inappropriate workplace incident. It was an act with deeply painful historical meaning. It can undoubtedly cause fear, anger, grief, and a profound loss of trust. No one should ever question whether they are respected, valued, or safe in a City workplace or while receiving services from the City of Golden. For years, the City has worked to build a culture rooted in respect, inclusion, and belonging, including developing the REDI Task Force. This incident represents a failure to live up to those values. We failed our employees. We failed members of our community. We failed to meet the standard of respect and professionalism that every person deserves. Words alone cannot repair the harm caused by this act or restore the trust that has been damaged. Only our actions, taken consistently, transparently, and with accountability, can begin to do that. We are committed to learning from this failure and doing better. Our work will continue through our partners on the REDI Task Force, ongoing listening sessions and open dialogue with employees, and taking appropriate action based on findings from the third-party investigation.