Study on race criticized for lack of depth

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Wednesday, March 12, 2003 | 8:22 a.m.

A report on the role of race in the Las Vegas Valley was released last week to mostly lukewarm reviews.

The Urban Chamber of Commerce report, most observers agreed, was significant because it was the first of its kind, but it fell short of expectations, given the subject's importance. Critics noted the lack of depth and detail in the report's recommendations, insufficient local data and outdated information, factors its organizers blamed on lack of resources and cooperation.

"The report has sketchy documentation ... with no footnoting and no sources," said Bob Parker, a sociology professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who teaches a course on race relations.

The study set out to involve 30 leaders from the area's public and private sectors to address issues related to race.

Its release came the same week the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was officially revived after nearly two years in limbo, and as profiling by Metro Police and hiring of minorities at MGM MIRAGE are being debated.

The report's recommendations include:

"Most of this is pretty common sense stuff," said Rainier Spencer, director of the Afro-American studies department at UNLV. Spencer did not participate in the project.

The report was based on four meetings held in 2001 in which 30 leaders heard testimony from the public and from people who work in education, contracting, social services and law enforcement.

Urban Chamber board members then wrote the report based on the meetings and further research, Executive Director E. Louis Overstreet said.

The chamber official said health problems of people involved in the project delayed the report's release until last week. The delay meant most of the report's data was at least two years old.

Several participants said the study also was limited because few people testified at each meeting, and attendance of the 30 leaders on the committee dropped off after the first meeting, they said.

"When I got there, I saw school district representatives, union members, a conglomeration of diverse groups," said Fernando Romero, a member of the committee. "But most of the people went to listen and then report back to their bosses -- not to give testimony."

UNLV's Parker said the Urban Chamber still deserves credit for addressing race.

"I have been studying chambers of commerce for a couple of decades ... (and) they typically do not talk about social issues in general," he said.

Committee member James Gans, vice president of operations for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said he did not agree with the study's recommendation that there should be mandates on minority hiring, but he agrees that the issue needs to be addressed and plans to forward the study to the LVCVA's human resources department.