Racial attack divides Kansas county

Associated Press

- Two Kansas men have pleaded guilty to federal charges over what prosecutors describe as an incident of racial taunting.

The incident occurred during a high school may 2007 graduation party in Waterville, 40 miles north of Manhattan. Prosecutors said 19-year-olds David B. Endsley, of Waterville, and Isaac Q. Clark, of Blue Rapids, tied up a black student, made racial slurs and urinated on him.

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said the men admitted that they tried to drive the victim from the area because of his race. The victim was identified only by the initials. J.L.

Endsley pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with the right to fair housing and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.

Clark pleaded guilty to one interference count.

Hunt is on for local black history

CHRISTINA M. WOODS, Wichita Eagle

- Documenting the city’s African-American community from 1945 to 1958 will send Wichitan Galyn Vesey on a historical treasure hunt that could span the next three years.

Vesey, an instructor at Bethel College, said he’s passionate about the project because there’s little documentation of the city’s black residents during the segregation era.

Vesey said he’ll comb through documents in library archives, cemeteries and possibly the salt mines in Hutchinson, where municipal records are kept, to resurrect life around North Water and Main streets to Ninth and Cleveland, where most black businesses and organizations thrived.

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Wichita NAACP calls for the termination of officers overheard making racist remarks

- As recently reported, the Wichita Police department has suspended three officers for making a series of Racist and Reprehensible comments which were overheard and reported by a neighbor. These types of comments undermine the public trust and are indicative of an underlying hostility towards one of the very communities the Officers are sworn to serve and protect. Expressions of Hatred and Bigotry should not be tolerated within the ranks of our Public Safety officials.

We understand and appreciate that Professional Standards is now conducting an investigation into the matter; which we will closely monitor. However, we wish to go on record stating that if the Wichita Police Department and Chief Norman Williams attempt to ’sweep this under the rug’ by quietly returning the officers to duty, it would send a strong signal that such behavior is condoned by the leadership of WPD.

The Wichita Police Department should have a zero tolerance policy for racism and misogyny and it is our hope that the leadership in the Police Department will resolve this matter accordingly. We are therefore calling upon the Wichita Police Department and Chief Norman Williams to act in the Public’s interest by terminating the officers upon the conclusion of the investigation.