Sharpton, Mandela to push civil rights in Las Vegas

Stacy J. Willis

Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001 | 10:25 a.m.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Winnie Mandela are scheduled to jump-start Las Vegas' civil rights activism at a rally next month.

The two civil rights advocates, who were invited by former local NAACP president Gene Collins, are expected to speak about police racial profiling, economic development for minorities and vocational training for ex-felons.

"The citizens of this city are saying it is long overdue for someone like Rev. Sharpton to bring attention to civil rights issues here," Collins said. "This will fill the gap left by the NAACP."

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's national board of directors suspended its local chapter in April saying the group, led by Collins, was weakened by infighting and needed to be reorganized. The local chapter responded by filing a federal lawsuit against the national organization -- the complaint has yet to be scheduled for court.

Collins encouraged Sharpton's national civil rights organization, National Action Network, to establish a presence in Nevada this summer. The Network was founded in 1990 to advocate for minority rights and has about 25 chapters.

Collins was named Nevada state chairman of the National Action Network in July.

"This isn't temporary or just while the NAACP gets straightened out, this is here to stay," Collins said. "People need somewhere to take their discrimination complaints."

Collins hopes to have an office for the Network by September -- an office welcomed by southern Nevada American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Gary Peck.

"We certainly welcome anyone into our community anyone who has a serious interest in addressing civil rights problems," Peck said. "While we may not have the same position on all issues, we will do what we can to work with them on issues of common concern."

"The Rev. Sharpton has real name recognition, and I will encourage ACLU members to attend his speech," Peck said.

Las Vegas will be one of the first stops Sharpton makes after being released from federal prison in Brooklyn. He is expected to be freed Friday after completing a 90-day sentence for trespassing during a protest against the U.S. Navy's use of Puerto Rican islands for bombing exercises.

Sharpton, who has run unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate, has said that he is considering a longshot bid for the 2004 U.S. Presidency.

Mandela, known as a militant anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, is "very interested in racism in gaming," Collins said.

Mandela served prison time for her opposition to apartheid in 1969 and has since held a controversial position in South African politics. She divorced Nelson Mandela in 1996.

The Las Vegas rally comes on the heels of allegations of racial profiling by local police departments.

On Tuesday Terry Anderson filed a federal lawsuit against Las Vegas Metro Police Department and Henderson Police Department for detaining him and his family at gunpoint, for no apparent reason other than that they are black. In July Julian Reinhardt, who is black, filed a lawsuit claiming Metro Police arrested him and accused him of being a suspect in a bank robbery in a bank where he was a customer.

The police departments' policy is not to comment on open lawsuits.

The Innaugural Civil Rights Rally will be held Sept. 2 at the Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J Street, at 6 p.m.