Letter to the editor:

F Street residents are victims of injustice

Bob McKee, North Las Vegas

Thursday, July 2, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

I am a sociology Ph.D. student and part-time instructor at UNLV and have studied the F Street closure for the past six months. I initially questioned the uproar over the closure, until I learned the history of this community.

West Las Vegas was founded in the 1920s and 1930s when blacks were restricted as to where they could live, shop or socialize. For decades city leaders refused to install roads, sewer, water or other infrastructure to this community, while enforcing strict segregation. Over the years the city made numerous attempts to close off various streets in West Las Vegas, in an effort to segregate it from the rest of Las Vegas.

In 2004 the Nevada Transportation Department introduced a plan to widen Interstate 15 that did not include the F Street closure. The closure was requested by the city, without notice to the community and without explanation.

It is true West Las Vegas has some blighted areas, but there are also many good, hardworking, honest citizens who make their homes there.

Imagine one morning you wake up to find the city has built a 20-foot-wall on the street at the edge of your driveway. You begin calling around, but get no answers. Months later, when the city finally responds, you are told it will cost too much to tear down the wall. How long would it take for you to get a sledgehammer to knock down that wall?

For more than 70 years the city has been building that same wall around West Las Vegas. It’s time that wall of oppression is torn down permanently and replaced with a bridge of opportunity.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By Randy

7/2/09 at 6:17 a.m.

Suggest removal

800 feet to the left and 800 feet to the right -- that is what it takes to get around the F Street closure. In all honesty, closing F Street at I-15 is not an impediment or barrier to work or recreation for any resident of the area.

By comparison, where I live (near the 215), I have to drive one-half mile to the left and one-half mile to the right to get across the freeway. I guess I am more "walled off" than those who live near F Street. Maybe I should cry racism and force the government to spend $70 million so that I can feel better about myself.

Unfortunately, it pains me to know that the $70 million is being wasted so a few people can save 30 seconds of driving one way or another, when the money could have been spent in ways that would really help this community.
By mwh710

7/2/09 at 6:38 a.m.

Suggest removal

I am soooo sick and tired of he same-o, same-o race card being played over NOTHING. $70 mil wasted to, once again, appease the few - JUST because of their color. It is reverse discrimination. Enough is enough. When will we grow some B*lls and say NO to the social injustice that the race-card players keep using on us. I am FED UP with it.
By pmmart

7/2/09 at 6:53 a.m.

Suggest removal

Las Vegas has thousands of quality homes for sale for approx 100 thousand dollars and F street has X number of blighted homes?

How many of these "blighted" homes could be traded for one of the quality unoccupied homes scattered around the valley for 70 million dollars?

Too easy?
By homer

7/2/09 at 7:47 a.m.

Suggest removal

mwh719 You are so right on. The U.S. Supreme Court just handed down a huge victory regarding your positon on this iisue. Fifty years of injustice to anyone who crossed the paths of people who cry the race card is coming to an end.
By Phargo

7/2/09 at 8:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

F street,,,,anytime the streets have letters instead of names you have to be aware of weeping and wailing by the black people.poor poor pitiful me. Shut up and endure life's little setbacks, grow a pair and take the detour, you are after all wards of the state.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons

7/2/09 at 8:49 a.m.

Suggest removal

"West Las Vegas was founded in the 1920s and 1930s when blacks were restricted as to where they could live, shop or socialize."

Yup, that was government law. Bad government.

"For decades city leaders refused to install roads, sewer, water or other infrastructure to this community, while enforcing strict segregation. "

Typical unresponsive bad racist government.

"The closure was requested by the city, without notice to the community and without explanation."

Government does a lot of stupid things that just can't be properly explained, like building water parks in the desert, mob museums, and new city halls after the old one was just renovated. Government will never be all that responsible when it has no consequences when spending other people's money.

"You begin calling around, but get no answers."

Typical unresponsive government.

"It is true West Las Vegas has some blighted areas,"

Watch what you say here, "blighted" is a code for "Hi, I'm a progressive planner and I'm going to take your home away from you and give it to a rich guy so he can build high end shopping and condos for my yuppie friends."

"It's time that wall of oppression is torn down permanently and replaced with a bridge of opportunity."

Yes, an opportunity for rich people to have those homes condemned so they can build upscale developments.
By Patrick_R_Gibbons

7/2/09 at 8:51 a.m.

Suggest removal

I'm willing to bet, that for $70 million, you can give scholarships to ever child living in that area to go to a private school, and pay for that schooling for the next 5-10 years...maybe more.
By just_an_average_joe

7/2/09 at 10:13 a.m.

Suggest removal

"victims of injustice"???

what a crock.....
By Dahn_Shaulis

7/2/09 at 7:03 p.m.

Suggest removal

In the future, local historians will examine posts in the Sun and RJ archives and see how embarrassingly racist and classist some Las Vegans were in 2009. The headline was not representative of the situation ("F Street Residents are Victims of Injustice"). Westside residents are social actors who have used democratic means (petition, demonstrations, legal actions) to counter the powers of structural and historical racism and environmental injustice. Patrick R. Gibbons' comments about gentrification are worth re-reading. I hope that the Sun will spend the time to piece the whole story together. For example, I haven't seen one media piece yet mention that the Federal Highway Administration and NDOT did not perform an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this project.
By Phargo

7/3/09 at 2:24 a.m.

Suggest removal

Another study? yeah thats what this city needs. The people in the West Side either can't or won't read anyway. A study? Paralysis of analysis, thats what its called. study this!