Niagara Falls--One Giant Leap Forward, Maybe

What does Niagara Falls make you think of? A place of beauty and international harmony? The region where Harriet Tubman brought former slaves to gain freedom? The origination of the Niagara Movement, and the beginnings of the NAACP? The acclaimed region is truly an international city, welcoming millions of tourists each year and home to some outstanding visionaries--who unfortunately live among some pea-brained people.

Earlier this month, the rich geological formations of the Niagara region lifted enough to reveal an elusive but insidiously dangerous specimen living there in the form of one Mr. James Curtis, 52, of Niagara Falls. Eager to share his personal expression of what he now pronounces as humor, Mr. Curtis placed a "Whites Only Drinking Fountain" sign at his employment, the Niagara Falls Department of Public Works.

Does the term "hate crime" ring a bell?

Hung anonymously, a local investigation ensued and all clues led to one very sorry James Curtis. His defense? Why, he was only joking. Joking? Don´t buy it. He´s lying. How do we know? James Curtis did not have the testicular fortitude to own up to his crude caper. Unless one has been living under some sort of solid stratum, one knows such a sign is a hate crime. Curtis knew it was wrong; otherwise, being the normal-red-blooded-American-good-ol´-boy knucklehead he seems to be, he would have loudly proclaimed, "Hey, look what I did! Ain´t that funny?" Is he hateful or just plain stupid? My money´s on both.

Now found out, this self-proclaimed jokester is out on $500 bond. That is not a typo; you read right: $500. Someone had to dig deep into that blue-collar beer money to pull out a fifty to spring poor Mr. Curtis from the pokey. He must have spent, what--all of ten minutes in booking? What is wrong with that picture? Hate crime is a Class E felony and his bail was $500, when it should have been at least $25,000. Fifty bucks and a slap on the wrist. Shame on the judge who decided that one.

Does anyone hear the sounds of sweeping? And who is lifting the rug?

This sign was no joke. In fact, it is a mean manifestation of deeply rooted racial tension continually perpetuated by past and present Niagara Falls City administrations.

Some feel the sign is backlash for an ongoing racial discrimination suit against the city. In 2003, six African-American city employees--known as the DPW 6--filed a discrimination lawsuit against Niagara Falls City. That was three administrations ago. Former Mayors Elia and Anello are felt by some to have purposely stalled proceedings so that justice would not be served, hoping the litigants would fade away. Though advised several times to settle the discrimination suit, past Niagara Falls administrations ultimately refused to sign on the dotted line. Now it appears the current city administration is doing exactly the same thing. Advised that the DPW 6 case is a priority and should be settled, the current Mayor initially agreed; but, now both sides can not seem to reach a settlement.

Back to square one, it seems city officials are slipping into bad habits and behaving like ostriches. Calling a brief news conference August 30th, Niagara city officials, including the Mayor and the Chief of Police, appeared to announce the arrest of Mr. Curtis and to offer a canned statement of condemnation for the man who hung the "Whites Only" sign. Niagara Falls officials refused to answer any further questions and promptly ran away, leaving the invited media stunned at the brevity.

Not a good way to win the people over, Mayor.

Poorly handled, which is what has happened thus far, this incident could grow into something very ugly. As a matter of fact, a white supremacist group has already contacted the Mayor expressing their support of the certainly misunderstood James Curtis. Buckle up, Niagara.

For a long-depressed city, haunted by nepotism and shackled by parochial views, this debacle could, in fact, be its golden opportunity to shine. Mayor Dyster has the unique opportunity to show the world Niagara Falls is strong, healthy and globally moving forward into the 21st century. He could use this opportunity to change the clouding perception of his new administration into one of forthright leadership if he is open and honest with the citizens of Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls administrators must begin by increasing the city´s hiring of minorities and instructing city departmental heads that there is zero tolerance for any discriminatory behavior. They must invite outside agencies--and not just say they did--to investigate the possibility of any discriminatory practices within all city agencies. Employees charged with hate crimes should be immediately escorted from their job and terminated. The city administration must communicate honestly and openly with people so there are no misconceptions of impropriety. If put into place now, Niagara Falls could be a leader in the fight against hate and discrimination. This could be a life-changing event for a city that desperately needs one.

This may also be Niagara Falls´ defining moment. The question is, will the people of Niagara Falls pull their heads out of the sand long enough to lead, or will they need more brooms and rugs?