Hip Hop Congress

Las Vegas Protest March announced

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Matthew Callister, Esq.
Callister & Reynolds
Bus: 702.385.3343
Cell: 702.595.6959
Fax: 702.385.7743
mqc@callister-reynolds.com

http://www.callister-reynolds.com

National Protest March Down Las Vegas Strip During The National Association Broadcasting (NAB) Convention Planned
Las Vegas, Nevada, Monday February 23, 2009 – Today the Stop the F Street Closure organization will announce detailed plans about the scheduled protest march down the Las Vegas Strip during the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention. National organizations, activists, unions, and community minded associations have joined forces with their efforts to emphasize the importance of standing up when your community’s civil rights have been violated.

They feel the CLOSING OF TWO MAJOR STREETS (D & F) WAS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT TO CONTINUE TO OPPRESS AND SEGREGATE THAT AREA FROM THE “NEW DOWNTOWN” located less than a 100 feet away.

THE “F” STREET COALITION IS PROTESTING FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

• 41 YEARS OF AN OPPRESSED COMMUNITY (THE HISTORIC WESTSIDE)

• DEVELOPMENT OF HOMELESS SHELTERS, LOW INCOME HOUSING IN ONLY
THIS AREA

• THE AUDACITY TO CLOSE TWO MAJOR STREETS WITHOUT PROPERLY
NOTIFYING THE COMMUNITY

• THE LACK OF INCLUSIVENESS IN THE CITY OF LAS VEGAS’ 2020 PLAN

• THE INJUSTICE OF THE LACK OF GRANT MONIES ISSUED IN THE COMMUNITY

• THE SLOW RESPONSE FROM THE CITY AND NDOT CONCERNING THE
REOPENING OF F STREET, THE ONLY THROUGH ACCESS TO COMMERCIAL
AGENCIES

• FOR VIOLATING THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF THIS HISTORIC COMMUNITY,

• FOR SHOWING NO RESPECT TO THE RESIDENTS AND THOSE WHO UTILIZE D
AND F STREET FOR VARIOUS REASONS

Since 1939, this historic community known as the Westside has fought for its rights to public and private health, safety and governmental services and facilities (see attached petition). In the 1950s, residents petitioned to the City of Las Vegas to install sewer system, build decent homes, remove the cable wires off the dirt roads, and have access to public accommodations, but were denied. Two years later, the mayor, C.D. Baker, agreed to the demands in exchange for their approval to build the I-15 freeway through the neighborhood. However, in 1968, the city and NDOT closed seven streets without the resident’s knowledge, purposely walling off the area from downtown Fremont Street. The residents rose up and marched to city hall in protest of the closing, which was lead by a woman named Ethel Pearson. The next day, the city agreed to open only D and F Street. In October 2008, the community discovered that the city was permanently closing D and F once again without properly notifying them according to Title VI. After receiving voided responses from key city and state officials for an explanation of the closure, a coalition was formed, the Stop the F Street Closure LLC. The community was furious when they discovered that Mayor Oscar Goodman had the audacity to plan a billion dollar “new downtown” and Mob Museum located less than 100 feet away from the closures and the historic Moulin Rouge, a shut down project since 1955. In addition to the lawsuit, the coalition has requested that the federal government investigate the reason why this historic black neighborhood is so grossly underdeveloped, and has been for 40 years. THE CLOSURES OF D AND F STREET IS A SYMBOL OF CONTINUED OPPRESSION.

We are urging the media to assist us in this fight by covering the injustices and unfair practices exercised by the City of Las Vegas and NDOT from 1939-2009.

Our next press conference and meeting will take place on February 23, 2009, 6 p.m. at the West Las Vegas Library – 951 W. Lake Mead. Your assistance and support would be truly appreciated. For a current update of our mission, please visit http://www.westlv.org/. Thank you very much for your efforts in this time-sensitive matter.

For more information, please contact:
Matthew Callister, Attorney, 702-385-3343
Email mqc@callister-reynolds.com