They called him “a white (N-word).”
Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel.
Thetough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Amongthem, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwesternadobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thoughtthey’d be talking about him), and ordered some to Anglicize their names.
No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark.
Whitten’smanagement style had worked for him as he’s turned around otherdistressed hotels he bought in recent years across the country.
The 63-year-old Texan, however, wasn’t prepared for what followed.
[snip]
Former workers, their relatives and some town residents picketed across the street from the hotel.
“Ido feel he’s a racist, but he’s a racist out of ignorance. He doesn’tknow that what he’s doing is wrong,” says protester Juanito Burns Jr.,who identified himself as prime minister of an activist group calledLos Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico.(1)
(1) Odd how this (racist) group does not refer to itself as The Multicolored Berets of America