We’ll just let former committee chair Dexter Pruitt take it away, as reported in the Ada Evening News: “We don’t want to be that mean, but if we don’t get on top of our town we’ve got too many n—–s and Mexicans moving in.”
We’ll give you a second to pick your jaw up off the floor.
That lovely little sentence (which we’re pretty sure would get the KKK Seal of Approval) was uttered during a March meeting of Ada’s Beautification Committee by Chairman Pruitt, who just had been elected chairman. It was a short tenure. Pruitt and two other committee members resigned, and the committee was actually abolished in June by the Ada City Council.
But the worst part — other than the fact that Pruitt apparently doesn’t want black people or Latinos moving to Ada and thinks that somehow making the town prettier will repel non-whites — is that the Ada Evening News reported people laughed after his racist gem.
Yup, laughed.
Unfortunately, the paper didn’t specify if it was awkward laughter or more of the “Damn straight!” variety.
Honestly, we think beautification is probably the least of Ada’s worries.
This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2011.