Whitten Inn protest draws regional support

Originally published in Santa Fe NAACP

By Matthew van Buren

A protest outside the Whitten Inn Saturday (Nov. 14) drew supporters from as far away as Las Cruces and San Antonio.

About 60 demonstrators gathered along Paseo del Pueblo Sur on an overcast Saturday morning and marched to the inn, picking up several bystanders along the way. The hotel has been a subject of regular protests since August, when former employees began to picket the former Paragon Inn, which Larry Whitten took over July 31. Some said they believe Whitten terminated several employees because they were Hispanic, which Whitten has denied.

Protesters have focused on controversial policies of Whitten’s – he told employees not to speak Spanish in his presence and told several to change their names. Martín was to go by “Martin” while at work, and Marcos was to be called “Mark.”

Jennie Valdez attended Saturday’s protest. A 24-year employee of the hotel, Valdez said she will pursue legal action against Whitten with the help of Albuquerque attorney Dennis Montoya.

“I’ve been through many owners,” she said. “We had never faced anything like this before.”

Under banners carrying slogans such as, “My name is not Bill,” “Stop racism” and “Boycott this racist inn,” members of League of United Latin American Citizens, the Brown Berets, the ACLU and the NAACP marched in solidarity with the protesters. Members of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) also traveled to Taos from UNM and NMSU to support the protesters’ cause.

“It’s a violation of the civil rights of the people who work for him,” ACLU member Kelan Emery said. “It’s insulting to our community.”

Despite rumors of a counter-protest, the demonstration concluded without incident. Town of Taos police officers were on hand, and Chief Daron Syling said he had spoken with organizers and town leaders to make sure the protest would be conducted safely.

“They want to have a nice, peaceful demonstration and exercise their First Amendment rights,” he said before the march.

Whitten said he would be out of town during the demonstration. He said he is willing to sit down with the protesters and groups such as LULAC to discuss how to overcome the problem.

“I’ll prove that I’m not they person they think I am,” he said Nov. 13.