Editorial: NAACP is in sorry shape here

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001 | 8:37 a.m.

Over the weekend the national NAACP's board of directors upheld the April suspension of its Las Vegas branch, which for years has been ineffective. The national group started investigating the chapter after questions were raised about the fairness of the local affiliate's 2000 elections, which resulted in Gene Collins' disputed election as president.

The local chapter's problems began to multiply when it alleged that MGM MIRAGE wasn't doing enough to hire minority contractors. MGM MIRAGE executives listened and took steps to improve their relationships with potential minority vendors. Not satisfied, Collins tried to pressure the company to invest $100 million in a West Las Vegas redevelopment program. The demand by Collins ostensibly was to make amends for MGM MIRAGE's diversity shortcomings, but it appeared to be more like a shakedown. The gaming company refused Collins' demands, calling them "unreasonable and inappropriate." The national NAACP suspended the branch, saying it had contacted the company inappropriately. An NAACP spokesman says that the branch shouldn't be negotiating with an international company, a role that is the responsibility of the national organization.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has had a storied past. It was the group that won the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education lawsuit. The court's decision in 1954 paved the way for desegregated schools and other public facilities, removing one stain from slavery's enduring legacy. During the 1960s the organization also helped secure the passage of federal laws protecting civil rights and voting rights. Those victories were won, by the way, with both blacks and whites working together.

The suspension of the NAACP's local branch certainly is an extreme measure, but the national organization's sanction was the right thing to do. There was ample evidence of the mess created by the Collins' regime. While racism no longer exists on the scale that it once did prior to the 1970s, it is still with us, which is why a strong NAACP is needed here. We believe that there are many excellent leaders in the community who could undertake the task of rebuilding the local chapter. Now is the time for them to step forward.