Hotel owner tells Hispanic workers to change names

[Tab]

Source: AP

TAOS, N.M. – Larry Whitten marched into this northern New Mexico town in late July on a mission: resurrect a failing hotel.

The tough-talking former Marine immediately laid down some new rules. Among them, he forbade the Hispanic workers at the run-down, Southwestern adobe-style hotel from speaking Spanish in his presence (he thought they'd be talking about him), and ordered some to Anglicize their names.

No more Martin (Mahr-TEEN). It was plain-old Martin. No more Marcos. Now it would be Mark.

Whitten's management style had worked for him as he's turned around other distressed hotels he bought in recent years across the country.

The 63-year-old Texan, however, wasn't prepared for what followed.

His rules and his firing of several Hispanic employees angered his employees and many in this liberal enclave of 5,000 residents at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where the most alternative of lifestyles can find a home and where Spanish language, culture and traditions have a long and revered history.

"I came into this landmine of Anglos versus Spanish versus Mexicans versus Indians versus everybody up here. I'm just doing what I've always done," he says.

Former workers, their relatives and some town residents picketed across the street from the hotel.

"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," says protester Juanito Burns Jr., who identified himself as prime minister of an activist group called Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_trouble_in_taos

[Warpy]

1. This story has been ongoing for a couple of months

and people here in NM are pretty disgusted over it.

This area was first settled by Hispanics and outsiders who don't get that fact are in for a very rude awakening. They're as proud of their culture as the Irish are in Boston and for the same reasons.

Whitten is an idiot.

[YDogg]

6. Yes - I am surprised it took this long to become widely-discussed.

Nancy Stapp had a wonderful interview with the hotel owner on KTAO (http://www.ktao.com) a few weeks ago. He came off sounding every bit the arrogant racist.

[EFerrari]

9. Isn't NM home to some of the oldest living pueblos on the continent?

The Spanish came much later.

[CanonRay]

2. Classic arrogant Anglo Texan.

'nuff said.

[madamesilverspurs]

3. What kind of jerk

tries to obliterate the culture that draws his prospective clientele? All credit to Juanito Burns Jr. for trying to be understanding, but this is clearly and blatantly racism. Whitten is repulsive.

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[woofless]

5. First Class.

[izquierdista]

11. See post #2

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Isn't the Marine slogan in a foreign language?

Whoops! Sorry, Mr. Marine asshole, I sometimes accidentally point out truth.

[bertman]

7. Great point, Rabrrrrrr!! Maybe he'll require everyone to speak Latin. Or pig-latin.

[Abq_Sarah]

8. I was up in Taos last week

And saw the protesters.

Whitten made the same mistake a lot of people make in small NM communities. They march in without doing their homework and end up alienating the entire community.

[Locus Ceruleus]

10. No more Larry, only Lawrence

I'd make him trill the "r" too. D'oh.

[stopchildabuse]

12. incredible

Its incredible this kind of thing still goes on and he doesn't get that what he did was wrong.