Opinions

We haven't yet reached Dr. King's 'Promised Land'

Martin Luther King Jr. once said "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice." Today no one's being sprayed with a fire hose for their skin color. But -- and I can't believe I'm writing this -- you're still not guaranteed a spot at the lunch counter in Anchorage. We've made great strides in a nation where Americans have elected an African-American President. But we're not at what Dr. King would call the "Promised Land" yet.

I recently had a positive meeting with some of the leaders of the Polynesian community, who are still stung by the refusal of a local restaurant to allow customers in for service -- it unfortunately appears -- because they were of Polynesian descent.

In early April two Alaskans were about to walk into a local restaurant and bar for a birthday party. When they got there -- and witnesses corroborate this story -- they were told they couldn't enter. No Polynesians allowed, they were told. Seriously. Literally. Wrongly.

The owner of Asia Gardens denies ethnicity was the reason the customers were denied access, and while I can't know for sure which version of the story is correct, the weight of the evidence sides with those who say they were denied access based on their race.

The owner said she was trying to prevent the repeat of a violent incident that occurred because of the conduct of some Polynesian-American patrons earlier. Protecting your customers from danger is understandable. But a policy based not on identifying people who may be violent, but on the race of a person, is not acceptable. It's no secret Anchorage has gangs of lots of races. But in America we don't punish whole races because the conduct of others.

The right policy is to do what many bars do -- post pictures of those individuals they do not want to enter because of their conduct. I can't believe I also had to write, in 2010, that separate is not equal. It never has been. This kind of policy is not legal under the Alaska's human rights laws, which were first enacted in territorial days when Alaska Natives were told they couldn't enter restaurants and movie theaters. It's not legal under the federal civil rights legislation pushed by people like Dr. King. It's not acceptable.

Two weeks ago we sat down with Reverend Sailitai Maga, Pastor Fia Fitiausi, Rose Talamaivao and Talanoa Naufahu. We settled on the following plan of action: Reps. Pete Petersen, Max Gruenberg and I, along with Sens. Bill Wielechowski and Johnny Ellis have sent the owner of Asia Garden a letter asking for a meeting with members of Anchorage's Polynesian community.

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Personal contact can, I think, help heal this divide. I'd like a promise that this will never happen again. On the positive side, with some community attention, we can have an open, frank discussion about this rift in our community, and work to heal it.

Les Gara is an Alaska state representative. This column is an edited version of his June 2 e-newsletter. You can contact him at representative_les_gara(at)legis.state.ak.us.

Alaska Dispatch features commentary by Alaskans from across the state. The views expressed are the writer's own and are not endorsed by Alaska Dispatch. We welcome a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail editor(at)alaskadispatch.com .

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