Good to heed own words
NAACP President Rhonda Chalfant stated many different and opposing things (“Sedalia-Pettis NAACP: ‘Appalled, but not surprised’ by KKK fliers,” Thursday).
She said she was appalled but not surprised. She said “the best thing to do is not respond ...” yet she did respond — primarily with blanket, vague references to just how messed up and racist people are in Sedalia. She said “several people in Sedalia ... are part of organized (hate) groups.” She tried to imply that the election of President Barack Obama caused a membership increase in said groups. I went to the NAACP website to search for Sedalia and its racist past or present. I saw none.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center website, under “Incident of Apparent Hate Crime” in Missouri for 2011, there were four incidents listed. One in Independence on Aug. 30; one in Clinton on July 30; one in Columbia on Feb. 14; and one in Springfield on Jan. 13. There was no mention of Sedalia.
I suggest that it would have been better for Chalfant to comply with her own words and “not respond,” instead of making statements proving she doesn’t know of what she speaks.
Mark Cooper
Retired military, Sedalia
