Larry Whitten, who purchased a floundering New Mexico hotel in July, is being cast as a racist by ex-employees and civil rights groups for forcing his Latino workers to make their names sound less Hispanic and preventing them from speaking Spanish in his presence.
Now, those who feel disrespected by his actions are marching and picketing against the Southwestern adobe-style hotel in the northern New Mexico town of Taos. Joining the host of angry former employees and townsfolk are such activist groups as Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico and the New Mexico chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a national civil rights organization.
"I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong," protester Juanito Burns Jr., who identifies himself as prime minister of Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico, told The Associated Press.
But Whitten, a 63-year-old native Virginian, who helped turn around flailing hotels in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina, said, "It has nothing to do with racism. I'm not doing it for any reason other than for the satisfaction of my guests, because people calling from all over America don't know the Spanish accents or the Spanish culture or Spanish anything.
"Because of that, I asked the people in my presence to speak only English because I do not understand Spanish," Whitten says. "I've been working 24 years in Texas and we have a lot of Spanish people there. I've never had to ask anyone to speak only English in front of me because I've never had a reason to.”
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t racist, says fired hotel worker Martin Gutierrez, who says he felt disrespected when he was told to use the unaccented Martin as his name. He says he told Whitten that Spanish was spoken in New Mexico before English, AP reports. "He told me he didn't care what I thought because this was his business," Gutierrez says.
"I don't have to change my name and language or heritage. I'm professional the way I am."
Darren Cordova, the mayor or Taos, a liberal community of about 5,000 residents, says Whitten has done nothing illegal, but he believes he should have better familiarized himself with the town before moving there.
"Taos is so unique that you would not do anything in Taos that you would do elsewhere," he says.
Whitten agrees. "What kind of fool or idiot or poor businessman would I be to orchestrate this whole crazy thing that's costed me a lot of time, money and aggravation?" Whitten said.
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"I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong," protester Juanito Burns Jr., who identifies himself as prime minister of Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico, told The Associated Press.
But Whitten, a 63-year-old native Virginian, who helped turn around flailing hotels in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina, said, "It has nothing to do with racism. I'm not doing it for any reason other than for the satisfaction of my guests, because people calling from all over America don't know the Spanish accents or the Spanish culture or Spanish anything.
"Because of that, I asked the people in my presence to speak only English because I do not understand Spanish," Whitten says. "I've been working 24 years in Texas and we have a lot of Spanish people there. I've never had to ask anyone to speak only English in front of me because I've never had a reason to.”
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t racist, says fired hotel worker Martin Gutierrez, who says he felt disrespected when he was told to use the unaccented Martin as his name. He says he told Whitten that Spanish was spoken in New Mexico before English, AP reports. "He told me he didn't care what I thought because this was his business," Gutierrez says.
"I don't have to change my name and language or heritage. I'm professional the way I am."
Darren Cordova, the mayor or Taos, a liberal community of about 5,000 residents, says Whitten has done nothing illegal, but he believes he should have better familiarized himself with the town before moving there.
"Taos is so unique that you would not do anything in Taos that you would do elsewhere," he says.
Whitten agrees. "What kind of fool or idiot or poor businessman would I be to orchestrate this whole crazy thing that's costed me a lot of time, money and aggravation?" Whitten said.
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