Protesters voice concerns about ‘insensitive’ mall display
Several organizations protested Monday outside a Henderson mall over a model railroad exhibit on display earlier this month that included a depiction of a Black man who was about to be hanged.
The display by the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society was up from about June 30 to July 5 at the Galleria At Sunset, said Robert Bush, president of the Las Vegas chapter of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization.
The display, he said, was unacceptable and racially insensitive.
About 45-50 people participated in the protest Monday, which lasted about 35 minutes.
Bush said early Monday afternoon he was heading into a 2 p.m. meeting at the mall regarding the display.
“The mall is responsible because it’s their house,” he said, noting that allowing the display was “unacceptable and insensitive on their part also.”
He said mall officials responded to concerns and apologized, and stated they immediately took the display down. “Well, it was up for five days,” he added.
In an email Monday to the Review-Journal, spokeswoman Lindsay Kahn with mall operator Brookfield Properties said: “We are disgusted by this display! We took immediate action demanding the company remove it. While they were cooperative, we will not be working with them again. We are a destination for the entire community and apologize to our customers and tenants who were rightfully offended by this.”
Bush said he hasn’t heard from the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society. The Review-Journal was unable to immediately reach the organization Monday afternoon.
Bush, who grew up in Las Vegas, said he feels it’s time for change in the city, and to acknowledge that racial insensitivity is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated.
If the railway society doesn’t come to the table to talk about racial insensitivity and how to depict Black people in a positive way — as well provide a public apology — groups are committed to showing up at every display they have and shutting them down, Bush said.
Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.
