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Feb 19, 2008 4:20 pm US/Central
FW Business Owner Posts Racially Offensive Sign
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―
A Fort Worth man said he is trying to keep gang members out of his business with a large sign telling them to keep out.
Some people say the sign is racially offensive, and they want it taken down. The message refers to African Americans in a derogatory manner.
The controversial sign is located in the 5000 block of East Rosedale in the Stop Six neighborhood.
"This is Stop Six. This is like the hood," said resident Andrea Riser. "That's how everybody talk in the hood, so there ain't nothing wrong with that."
"How is that hip? In the middle of Black History Month," said Alton Wilkerson. "That's not hip. That's just disrespectful to everybody."
Wilkerson is a retired Fort Worth police officer, Vietnam veteran and civil rights demonstrator.
"We're trying to kill the N-word, and this guy puts it up on his wall not once, but two times in big red letters," said Wilkerson.
"I can relate with them. I am them," said "Pops," the bar owner who posted the sign. "I can only keep that sign up for 30 days, and then I have to put another one up. The next one I put up, 'Quit getting drunk my n*****."
"Pops" also tried to defend his use of the "n-word." He said, "I am a n*****. I'm the last one left. I was raised under n*****-ism. That means that you mind your business. Don't bother nobody. And you come outdoors and you eat every day, and you feed your grandmother, and you feed your mother and you try to feed everybody else in the village. That's what that means. That's what n*****-ism means."
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