NAACP Calls for Sen. Buttars' Resignation

Feb 14, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

Local President Believes Past Comments Demonstrate Racism

(KCPW News) A local civil rights group is calling for Senator Chris Buttars to resign after he compared a bill on the Senate Floor to a black baby on Tuesday. Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake City branch of the NAACP, says his comment reflects poorly on the entire state, and she wants him to step down.

Williams says this week's comment isn't the only reason for her stance on the issue. She's disturbed by past comments Buttars has made, especially when he called a landmark Supreme Court decision that desegregated schools, "wrong." Buttars says he made that remark because he feels it broke up the educational system in the South.

Utah Latino Project Director Tony Yapias says whether Buttars resigns should be up to his own constituents, but his comment this week is a symptom of a larger problem. He feels the anti-illegal immigration bills making the rounds demonstrate a fear of minorities.

Yesterday, Senator Buttars was not on the Senate Floor. He apologized on the floor Tuesday after he made the comment and posted an apology on the Senate Republicans' blog.

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