SENIOR GROUP CLAIMS RACE IS KEEPING THEM OUT

By Sauk Village Voice
SAUK VILLAGE|  A group of senior citizens known as the Seniors for Relaxation Organization (or S.R.O.) is claiming that they are being discriminated against by the Mayor David Hanks and the Village because they are not permitted to have the exclusive use of the Senior Citizen Center.

Members of the S.R.O. have been coming to the Village meetings for months asking for the Mayor and Village Board to intervene on their behalf.  Tuesday night, Cleve Lawrence the organization’s  President, Nathan Griffin and Frank Harvey, all African-American came forward and implied that they are not being permitted exclusive use of the Senior Center because their group is African-American.

At previous village meetings the Chairperson of the Senior Citizen Committee, Rose Langston said the group was welcome on days that there would be “overseers” present on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month.  There are 3 other Senior Citizen groups, comprised mostly of Caucasian members, who have exclusive use of the Senior Citizen Center.  The committee gave a copy of what the committee adopted as “policy” for the use of the Center to Hanks Tuesday night.  The Village Board of Trustees has not seen the so-called policy nor did they vote to adopt any such policies.  Some took exception to the term “overseer” as racist terminology going to back to the days of slavery.  “Why is it that only the black group needs an overseer and not the other groups?  How openly racist can you be” one long-time Caucasian resident said.

According to Lawrence the group was told that they had to pay to use the Senior Citizen Center.  “Why should one organization have to pay while the others do not?”  The group suggests that it is because they are African-American and the others comprised of Caucasians pay nothing.

Trustee Derrick Burgess, suggested that Hanks and the S.R.O. group meet to resolve this and that Hanks should attempt to broker a deal so that the Organization could have their day to use the Senior Citizen Center.  “You remember Mr. Mayor when she (Langston) was having some issues a few years ago and you and I went and brokered a peace?  Well it’s time that this is done” Burgess said Tuesday night.

Hanks said he stands behind the Senior Citizen Committee and all committee chairpersons decisions and was not inclined to overrule what some call an openly racist decision.  Hanks did not say he opposes what some call the racist move by the senior committee.

“All we are wanting to do is provide seniors an opportunity to use a building which sits empty most of the time.  The building was intended to be used by the seniors, but only if you belong to the exclusive clubs.  But there are clearly some who do not feel that seniors should be permitted to do so.  We have come to the mayor on many occasions and he refuses to do anything” Lawrence said.

Longtime resident Larry Stewart, who had recently resigned the Senior Citizen Committee clearly calls the matter racist.  “Look they are doing everything they can to keep a certain group of people out of the Senior Citizen building because they are black and politically disagree with this administration” Stewart said Tuesday night.  “Until members of Senior Committee, which is very racist group, is told by the mayor to stop this open racism and black seniors are permitted to use the center I will not step foot in that Senior Center" Stewart said.