Atlanta Hawks officials are planning to meet with area civil rights activists in the wake of the racially insensitive e-mail, sent by co-owner Bruce Levenson, which came to light over the weekend.
The e-mail, uncovered during an independent investigation after Hawks GM Danny Ferry offered racially charged comments on a conference call with the team’s owners, suggested that the team’s black fans were keeping its white fans away from the games. Levenson has since announced that he would sell his interest in the team.
Reverend Markel Hutchins, according to the AP, said that he wanted to examine the apparent racist sentiments within the organization.
“Evidently the culture of racism and bigotry that is pervasive and ever-present in the Atlanta Hawks leadership is embarrassing to the city of Atlanta and undermines the very best of Atlanta’s history of race relations and being a leader for the nation and the world,” Hutchins said outside of Philips Arena.
The meeting was expected in the next two days.
“I want to hear what people have to say, and I want to address their concerns,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said.
Perhaps more incisive, another Atlanta reverend opined that the team’s problems had more to do with on-court success rather than who was sitting in the crowd.
“Who would come with a team that’s not winning?” Reverend Gerald Durley asked. “You’ve got to understand the market if you’re talking about business.”
