It was standing-room only at a June 20 community forum on diversity in the Boston police and fire departments held at the Columbia Road headquarters of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO).

More than 100 people gathered to hear from leaders of MAMLEO and the Boston Society of Vulcans. Tanisha Sullivan, president of the Boston NAACP, moderated the event. Larry Ellison, president of MAMLEO, and Darrell Higginbottom, president of the Society of Vulcans, gave presentations on diversity in the Boston police and fire departments, respectively.

“Approximately 90 percent of hires are white males and a lot of them are non-Bostonians,” said Higginbottom in highlighting the lack of diversity in the Boston Fire Department.

This hiring trend began when a court-ordered consent decree, resulting from a lawsuit against the state by the Boston chapter of the NAACP, expired in 2003. The decree had required Boston’s police and fire departments to hire one black or Latino applicant for every three white applicants.

Now, Higginbottom said, while white applicants make up “about 50 percent of exam takers,” they “are hired at about 90 percent of the rate.”

The Fire Department demographics currently stand at 72 percent white, 21 percent black, 7 percent Hispanic, and 1 percent “other.”

Higginbottom said the most alarming problem at the moment is the loss of economic opportunity for people of color. He cited the state of equity report done by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which found that “Greater Boston is struggling significantly with disparities and access to jobs and income.”

“The most concerning deal,” he stressed, “is the economic opportunity that we’re losing.” The starting salary for a firefighter is $60,000. “The average income is significant for the Boston Fire Department. Our community is not getting a piece of the pie.”

Ellison said that less than one-fifth of supervisors on the police department are black, and there are “zero supervisors of color” in the gang and homicide units. Headlines from local papers hung throughout the room emphasized his point.

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, said it’s imperative that citizens let the mayor know they care about the issue of diversity in civil service.

“Call the mayor’s office, tell him you care and ask him to adopt a comprehensive package of diversity practices for the Boston Police Department and the Boston Fire Department before the election,” he said.

After hearing from speakers, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and voice comments. Lack of transparency from the city was a top concern and many veteran police officers and firefighters shared their experiences with discrimination on the force. Many attendees also commented about a common experience: taking the entrance exam, scoring well, and not being accepted due to veterans preference. “All of those positions should be available to all of us,” said one local resident.

The police and fire departments give preference to disabled veterans and veteran applicants before civilian applicants. Disabled veterans are placed first on the eligible list, followed by veterans, then civilians.

Veterans preference is federally regulated and will likely remain one of the obstacles minorities face in applying for civil service jobs. However, state Rep. Russell Holmes, who attended the forum, said two of the bills he has filed would help give Boston residents a better chance of moving up on the eligibility list.

Bill H.3537 calls for an increase in residency preference for the Boston police and fire departments to three years instead of one year. Applicants would need to be residents of Boston for three years before being considered. Another bill, H.3521, calls for five years of Boston residency for applicants and an exam advisory board comprised of community members.

Other proposed solutions include reinstating the Boston Police cadet program and establishing a similar cadet program for the fire department. Currently, the police cadet program allows applicants between the ages of 18-24 to receive on-the-job training and become officers, provided they pass the cadet exam. A language preference for applicants is also a proposed solution.

Organizers stressed continued involvement from the community to confront the diversity issue. They urged residents to keep attending meetings, keep calling the mayor’s office, and keep supporting Rep. Holmes’ work. “We want this city and its institutions to reflect the diverse and vibrant communities where we live and where we work… we want accountability,” said Espinoza-Madrigal.