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DeLeon resident Levy Wayne Alexander has
offered a written apology for his remarks at the DeLeon City Council
meeting on April 26.
Alexander made an angry presentation
regarding the noise levels from a Spanish dance that had been held on
April 21. He included comments that this was not Old Mexico and
threatening violence if the loud dance music was ever repeated.
Alexander’s comments provoked an outcry
and prompted a local meeting with officials from the League of United
Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Local area citizens who attended that
meeting expressed anger, concern and even some fear over Alexander's
remarks and behavior.
On Monday, May 14, Alexander called Roy
Freeman and requested a meeting with him and Eddie Prado to get the
matter resolved.
Both Prado and Freeman had attended the
LULAC meeting. Freeman had been designated as an intermediator between
the aggrieved residents and Alexander, and Prado had been selected to
a four person committee to coordinate the actions voted upon by the
meeting attendees.
Later Monday morning, Alexander and
Freeman met with Prado at his restaurant and had what was described as
a cordial meeting. Alexander expressed the desire to put the matter to
rest and Prado explained that an apology was in order.
Alexander then wrote out the following
apology.
"I, Levy Wayne Alexander, want to
apologize to the Spanish community for my misuse of words at our City
Council due to the inaction of DeLeon Police force on May 12, Sat.
night, at the dance on American Legion land, and to our City Council
and Mayor."
The statement was also signed as
witnesses by Roy Freeman and Eddie Prado. The actual date of the dance
was April 21.
Pauline Villarreal, another member of the
committee of four selected at the LULAC meeting, expressed both
surprise and satisfaction when shown a copy of Alexander's apology.
LULAC Meeting
Earlier, on Tuesday, May 8, around 45
attended a meeting at Prado's Cafe with LULAC officials from Abilene.
Erasmo Martinez, the immediate past
president of LULAC Council 605, served as moderator at the meeting. He
was assisted by the groups civil rights chair, George Stokes, and Jack
Guzman.
Only a handful of non-Latino residents attended.
Martinez had little prior knowledge of
the events that had triggered the call for the meeting and opened with
a series of questions. After learning that the problem did not result
from any actions or abuses by either city officials or the police, he
learned that the complaint centered on the statements and actions of
Alexander.
There were angry comments regarding
Alexander and several calls for an apology. One resident offered more
than once to file criminal charges, and was met with encouragement
from fellow area residents.
Martinez, however, encouraged the angry
residents to first seek an apology, noting that they were all taught
to forgive when a sincere apology has been offered. He later advised
those at the meeting to control their anger, but added that anger was
okay, when they had a good reason.
The meeting was filmed by Darcy Deupree,
a reporter/videographer from television station KRBC in Abilene. Prior
to the start of the meeting she had interviewed Alexander at his home.
Later, during the meeting, Deupree played
a portion of Alexander's recorded interview for the meeting. In that
interview, Alexander noted that as far as he was concerned that it was
not a racial matter at all, but only a noise problem.
Portions of the Alexander interview and
the LULAC meeting were aired at the station's 10:00 p.m. news
broadcast and again the following morning.
Near the end of an hour and a half
meeting, four residents were nominated and elected to represent the
assembly. They were Eddie Prado, president; Pauline Villarreal, vice
president; Mary Ann Martin, treasurer; and Maria Segura, secretary.
The committee of four were given the
charge to seek a written apology by May 15 and, if that effort failed,
to proceed with filing criminal charges and perhaps seek a restraining
order.
Whether the matter will be considered as
settled with the receipt of Alexander's apology is not yet clear.
The music concert noise issue he raised
clearly remains a problem. Another Spanish dance was held at the
Festival Grounds stage on Saturday evening, May 12, and it resulted in
numerous comments regarding the noise, reportedly heard over a much
wider area than even the April 21 dance that prompted Alexander's City
Council appearance. |
