Wichita mayor asks civil rights board member to quit over Facebook posts; he refuses
A committee formed by Mayor Brandon Whipple to address racial injustice in Wichita is off to a rocky start with the mayor asking for, but not getting, the resignation of an appointee who has made dozens of racially insensitive posts on social media in recent days.
Since being appointed to the Council on Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights, appointee Allen Stoker has written or shared dozens of posts, memes and essays on Facebook assailing the Black Lives Matter movement, highlighting crimes committed by Black people, defending the confederate flag and downplaying slavery and racism in America.
Whipple said he was not aware of Stoker’s attitudes on racial issues when he appointed him to the civil rights panel created by the City Council at Whipple’s request on June 2.
“He (Stoker) is an advocate for homeless issues and when I spoke with him earlier this year, he discussed how he used to be homeless and this was what he wanted to bring up,” Whipple said. “That’s how he got on it.”
Stoker identifies himself on Facebook as an advocate with the National Alliance to End Homelessness and board chairman of The Coalition: ICT, a local group that seeks to coordinate government and private assistance for homeless residents.
Whipple admitted that he didn’t vet the applicants and had never met Stoker, but assumed that anyone volunteering for a committee on racial equity would have some interest in advancing it.
The committee will hold its first meeting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. It will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
Racially divisive posts
Stoker posts dozens of times a day on Facebook.
In recent days, his own missives on race relations included: “400 + years of hurt... Ya might want to get out your calculator on that one.. 2020 - 1776= not 400+,” and “So, if people are so pissed off about being brought here against their will. .why aren’t they buying tickets back home? Must not be that big of a deal.”
He copied and pasted — at least twice — a lengthy unsigned essay labeling institutions including the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, the Miss Black America pageant, Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, historically black colleges and the Black Entertainment Network as examples of anti-white racism.
Part of that essay reads: “You rob us, car jack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist. I am proud...... But you call me a racist. Why is it that only whites can be racists??”
He shared at least two memes exaggerating the criminal record of George Floyd, whose killing by Minneapolis police has sparked nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, and at least two others suggesting Floyd’s death was staged.
And on Wednesday, Stoker shared a meme with the U.S. and confederate flags intertwined, reading: “I don’t have ‘white guilt,’ I suffer from ‘white shame.’” It expressed being ashamed of all the white people who have become wimps “and feel ‘guilty’ because they were born white.”
Mayor seeks resignation
Whipple said he reviewed Stoker’s posts after an Eagle reporter asked questions about them and he found them to be “contrary to the mission of the council.”
He said Stoker got “very defensive” about the posts and he asked Stoker to resign after concluding he “wouldn’t be a good fit” on a committee specifically tasked with improving City Hall’s approach to diversity, inclusion and civil rights.
“When I talked to him (Tuesday night), I told him these (subjects) are what we’re going to be addressing and, you know, if you don’t see a problem . . . this might not be the committee you want to be on.”
Stoker refused to resign and posted several pages of messages he exchanged with the mayor through a Facebook Messenger chat.
“If this is only about racism, then someone is not fulfilling the ‘cultural diversity’ aspect,” Stoker wrote. “I have more issues than that to bring to the table about (how) different socio-economic groups are treated in today’s society.”
Replied Whipple: “But one of our focus(es) is to address white privilege and how it relates to limiting opportunities to non whites and (your) post shows that you don’t think it exists . . . we’ll be tackling a lot of the policy that addresses racial inequality.”
Stoker: “Ok. It’s your council. Obviously it seems you only want to hear what’s currently the ‘fad,’ but inequality isn’t only because of the term ‘white,’ as you put it.”
Later in the conversation, Whipple wrote: “I think some of your posts would be a distraction for this council. I would ask that you resign from this one and we can look toward other options in the future.”
Stoker refused: “I won’t resign. If you feel it necessary, remove me. But don’t for a moment think I’ll take it lightly. And that’s not a threat, just information.”
Stoker declined to comment when reached by an Eagle reporter Wednesday. But he did share thoughts on his Facebook wall about his conversation with Whipple.
“I earlier received a message from our illustrious mayor, Brandon Whipple, concerned about my seemingly racist Facebook posts and the fact that I may not have been a good choice to be on his newly formed council on racial equality and cultural diversity,” Stoker wrote. “He outright asked me to resign from the committee, alluding to the fact that if I didn’t resign I wouldn’t be included in future committees that will be dealing with homeless issues.
“I replied that I wouldn’t resign, and from there the discussion went downhill. It transitioned to a phone call where he again reiterated that if I were “voted” off the committee that it would probably preclude my involvement in future committees that will deal with homeless issues where they ‘valued my experience and knowledge of the issue.’”
Whipple formed the committee to address issues raised by local protesters in the wake of the Floyd killing, in which Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes, despite Floyd’s repeated pleading that he couldn’t breathe.
A video recording of the incident has been viewed by millions of Americans and touched off protests in cities across the country.
Chauvin and three other officers were fired over the Floyd killing. Chauvin is facing murder charges and the other three have been charged with aiding and abetting.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Stoker alleged he’s been removed from the diversity council. It showed a list labeled “attendees” and his name wasn’t on it.
“Apparently I’m not on the list anymore . . . we’ll see..” Stoker wrote.
Whipple said that list apparently wasn’t a complete one and Stoker is still on the board.
Whipple could have formed the diversity council as an advisory board to the mayor, which would have allowed him to add or remove members at will.
But because he brought the City Council into the mix, he can’t fire anyone from it without a majority vote of the council.
Whipple said he discussed the issue with City Council member Brandon Johnson, who will co-chair the committee, and Johnson advised him to let it go and not try to boot Stoker.
“I’ve had back and forths with Allen since I was elected,” Johnson said. “He and I had a few conversations about homelessness prior to election day in 2017. And after I became a council member, I actually met with him regarding some of these issues and concerns that he had regarding the homeless population.”
Johnson said he was aware of Stoker’s recent posts.
“He has said some of those same things over the years,” Johnson said. “He just seems to be ignorant of the actual state of affairs for Black folks in America and I think he could use some education.
“I think the mayor appointing him to this committee brings a voice of support for homeless issues . . . but also an opportunity for (Stoker) to learn the true facts of what’s going on with the systemic issues and maybe that will change his perspective.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 5:23 PM.
