Thread: La Raza pulls its KC convention

Posted on Sat, Oct. 20, 2007 05:01
La Raza pulls its KC convention
By DEANN SMITH
The Kansas City Star
The National Council of La Raza’s board voted this afternoon to yank its 2009 convention from Kansas City in protest of a park board appointee belonging to a group it believes is hostile to Hispanics.

The board followed the recommendation of local La Raza affiliates, who had asked the board to pull the convention. Two months ago, the head of La Raza, Kansas native Janet MurguÃ*a, told Mayor Mark Funkhouser that if his appointee, Frances Semler, didn’t step down from the park board, La Raza would likely pull the convention.

The convention had been expected to fill more than 5,000 hotel rooms, with an economic impact to the city of more than $5 million.

Today’s vote came after a federal mediator was unable Friday to resolve the differences between Funkhouser and some local Hispanic leaders. Funkhouser, citing his principles, was unwilling to consider asking Semler to step down from the park board or the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

Local Hispanic leaders said their principles would not allow them to reward economically a city that supports a group that conducts armed patrols of the Mexican border and that they believe uses hateful speech toward Latinos, both illegal and legal.

Semler and Minuteman members say she belongs to a law-abiding group that is not racist and her political views should have nothing to do with her service on the park board.

Funkhouser will now turn his attention to retaining the NAACP convention. NAACP officials have said they would have to strongly consider La Raza’s decision before deciding whether to pull their 2010 convention from Kansas City.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking ... 25903.html

The mayor is due to be congratulated for his courage.


Mayor's Office
414 E. 12th St., 29th floor
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 513-3500
(816) 513-3518

Mayor Mark Funkhouser
(816) 513-3500

mayor@kcmo.org

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish...YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by redbadger

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish...YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree 100%!!! They need to have it somewhere more appropriate, like Mexico City.

Called and left a message....Proud of them

Originally Posted by jean

The convention had been expected to fill more than 5,000 hotel rooms, with an economic impact to the city of more than $5 million.

You know what we need to do now is go after the Corporations that support this racist anti-American group so they don't have this kind of money in the first place.

The convention had been expected to fill more than 5,000 hotel rooms, with an economic impact to the city of more than $5 million.

I wonder how much of that comes from the US GOVT contribution to La Raza.

That racist organization should be thrown out of the country.

I'm glad KC is standing up to La Raza.

Called...and will call again !!!!!!And Missouri can live just fine without their Racist LA RAZA money...heck I bet no one notices...sorta like their boycotts

It will be interesting to see which other city wants this convention so bad they will allow La Raza to meddle in their government.

They can always go to Lost Angeles!