Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., said it regrets that the mayor did not act sooner to accept the resignation of Frances Semler from the Kansas City Parks Board. “Unfortunately because of the mayor’s lack of leadership and sensitivity to the Hispanic community, it is now too late for NCLR to bring its Conference to Kansas City in 2009,” said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. At the request of its Kansas City Affiliates, NCLR removed its 2009 Annual Conference from Kansas City after Mayor Mark Funkhouser appointed Semler, an active member of the extremist Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, and refused to accept her resignation when she first offered it.

The Minuteman, a self-avowed vigilante group, is listed as a “nativist-extremist” organization by the Anti-Defamation League. Chris Simcox, one of the Minuteman’s founders, was convicted in 2003 of carrying a weapon into a national park while searching for undocumented immigrants.

“The Minutemen advocate division and intolerance, and their members openly harass and intimidate Hispanics solely based on their appearance. The Kansas City Hispanic community did not accept the mayor’s tacit endorsement of such policies, and we supported their views,” said Murguía.

“From the beginning, the mayor has consistently refused to act on this issue and failed to take direct action,” added Murguía. “We thank the community partners in Kansas City who stood with us, including our Affiliates, the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the religious community.”

In October, the NCLR Board of Directors voted to move the 2009 Annual Conference from Kansas City to a different site. NCLR has signed a contract for this new location, which will be announced in the next few weeks.

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