I was shocked to read this press announcement from Ricki Barlow’s office:
His Excellency, President Abdoulaye Wade, and the Republic of Senegal, will host this year’s conference Dec. 15-19. The National Conference of Black Mayors, World Conference of Mayors and The United Nations are sponsoring a delegation of 250 local government leaders throughout Africa and the African diaspora to travel to Dakar, Senegal, for the conference, to continue the relationship being built between African-American mayors and the Senegalese mayors. While mayors from throughout the United States are attending, I am the only city council member from the United States expected to attend. The conference sponsors and the President of Senegal are covering all costs of my trip, including travel and accommodations.
Well what is wrong with a local elected official accepting a FREE trip from a foreign government to represent the state of Nevada at a conference.
This is what is wrong spelled out 10 ways as to why Ricki Barlow has no business representing the entire state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas at this conference. He owed it to us to do his research before making this decision.
- Children in Senegal are forced into begging and servitude. A problem the host of Mr. Barlow’s junket refuses to correct. See the slideshow Talibes in Senegal.
- How many starving children in Senegal could be fed by the costs of flying, feeding, and transporting Mr. Barlow on his junket? Senegal one of the 48 least developed countries in the world.
- The State Department officially acknowledges ongoing human rights violations in this country. See the report here.
- We are still recruiting human rights workers to go to this country to investigate its government. Check it out here.
- Senegal’s law criminalizing consensual sexual conduct among adults is discriminatory and invites abuse of homosexuals by both the police and the general public. Read the details here.
- His Excellency, President Abdoulaye Wade still has not prosecuted his crony for human rights violations. Read the Amnesty International report here
- HIV AIDS policy in Senegal is years behind where it should be. Print the detailed report here.
- Women are still trafficked from Senegal to other countries as slaves. Read the report here.
- Child brides as young as 13 are a legally accepted practice in this country. Read the article here.
- The government of Senegal has borrowed $30 million dollars to fight poverty, yet its leader is essentially throwing an all expense paid party for international “Ricki Barlow” level politicians to party.
Ricki next time before you brag that YOU were the only city council person from the entire United States to attend a conference in another country try asking yourself if its because everyone else was smarter about it.
The world does not change for the better when we fluff leaders who do not work toward correcting human rights policies in their own country.
I am ashamed as a resident of Las Vegas Nevada to have Ricki Barlow representing my community at this conference.
