Thread: KS: Funkhouser meets with Hispanic leaders

Posted on Thu, Sep. 27, 2007
Funkhouser meets with Hispanic leaders
By DEANN SMITH
The Kansas City Star
Under attack from a national Hispanic group, Mayor Mark Funkhouser met Thursday with several local Hispanic leaders in hopes of improving relations.

Two Hispanic leaders said they left the meeting hoping that the controversy over Frances Semler’s appointment to the park board will be resolved in a way that will allow Kansas City to retain the Council of La Raza’s 2009 convention.

La Raza and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have threatened to pull their conventions from Kansas City unless Semler, a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, steps down from the parks board. Both groups are scheduled to make a decision at their board meetings in mid-October.

In a related development, the mayor’s office said Thursday that Fox News is sending a national crew to Kansas City in the coming days to do a piece on the controversy.

Funkhouser declined to comment about his fourth monthly meeting with Hispanic leaders — the first since La Raza and the NAACP issued their ultimatums.

“There is a lot of finger pointing going on,â€

[quote]Amador said the bulk of the meeting revolved around traditional municipal issues, such as getting the city to hire more Hispanics and improving neighborhood services and youth programs for Hispanic residents.

“The city needs to be more welcoming for immigrants and refugees,â€

Still making news although nothing much new here.
~~~
Hispanic groups asks grandmother to resign from Minutemen


Associated Press - October 12, 2007 7:44 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A national Hispanic organization says it will hold its annual convention in Kansas City if a parks board member withdraws from a group that opposes illegal immigration.

The National Council of La Raza and the NAACP have threatened to take their conventions elsewhere unless 73-year-old Frances Semler resigns from the parks board. Semler is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

La Raza now says it will keep the convention in Kansas City if Semler revokes her membership in the Minutemen.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser appointed Semler and has stood by her since La Raza threatened to move its convention. A spokesman says the mayor is out of town and not available to comment.

The convention would bring an estimated 5 million to $7 million in revenue.

The Minuteman organization is best known for stationing members along the Mexican border, alerting Border Patrol agents to possible illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S.

Many Hispanic groups claim it harasses and intimidates Hispanics, regardless of their legal status.

http://www.kbsd6.com/Global/story.asp?S=7207671

Originally Posted by jean

La Raza now says it will keep the convention in Kansas City if Semler revokes her membership in the Minutemen.

What if she resigned from the Minutemen and joined ALIPAC?

NCLR Headquarters Office

Raul Yzaguirre Building
1126 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 785-1670
Fax (202) 776-1792

comments@nclr.org


Atlanta Program Office Tel. (404) 658-1711
Chicago Program Office Tel. (312) 269-9250
Long Beach-Center for Latino and Community HealthTel. (562) 985-5242
Los Angeles Program Office Tel. (213) 489-3428
New York Office Tel. (212) 260-7070
Phoenix Program Office Tel. (602) 417-1400
Puerto Rico Program Office Tel. (787) 641-0546
nclr-pr@nclr.org

Sacramento Policy Office Tel. (916) 448-9852
San Antonio Program Office Tel. (210) 212-4454

Originally Posted by Bowman

Originally Posted by jean

La Raza now says it will keep the convention in Kansas City if Semler revokes her membership in the Minutemen.

What if she resigned from the Minutemen and joined ALIPAC?

We would welcome her with open arms, I'm sure!!!

But, she shouldn't be being put into this position.


Isn't what LaRaza is demanding, a violation of Ms. Semler's rights?

Yes, it is a violation of her rights. Isn't it also racist?

I think Semler should sue LaRaza, make them show some proof that the minutemen are vigilanties. They are causeing her alot of stress, and this is definitily racist, but then LaRaza is the largest racist group in the United States. Its time to break this group up they have gotten to much power when they think they can do away with one little old lady. What are you afraid of LaRaza.

They should tell them to take their racist ass out of KC they don't need them there.


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As far as I know, the Minutemen are pro-American Citizen (including Hispanic Americans) and pro legal immigrant (including Hispanic immigrants). They should issue a release stating this. They probably have in the past, but need to again for this specific situation.

Let LaRaza try to prove beyond doubt the Minutemen are racists, since they cannot by opposing this Minutewoman this means LaRaza is anti-American and anti-legal immigrant.

Below is full contact information for those who wish to express their support for retention of Frances Semler on Kansas City's parks board in the face of renewed threats of financial intimidation by the NCLR and the NAACP. Mayor Funkhouser is himself Afro-American, and the Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board is Hispanic. Each originally stated publically that he had "no problem" with Ms. Semler's private work with the Minutemen and her public service on the parks board. Only one KC Councilwoman, Ms. Beth Gottstein, 4th District "At Large", called for Ms. Semler's resignation from the beginning for fear of an "economic backlash". Otherwise, there seems to have been general support for Ms. Semler's continuing service on the parks board up until this new meeting between NCLR and the mayor.

CONTACT INFO, City of Kansas City, MO:

The Honorable Mark Funkhouser
Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
City Hall, 29th Floor
414 E. 12th St.
Kansas City, MO 64106
Telephone: (816) 513-3500
FAX: (816) 513-3518
Email: Mayor@kcmo.org

General contact email address is: www.//kcmo.org/ .

I could find no listing for the Chairman and the members of the Parks and Recreation Board, but the Parks and Recreation Department has a "Contact Us" form listed on its left sidebar. To locate the department, click "Recreation" on the "Site Directory" left sidebar of the City's main webpage.