The Spark

On March 17th, 1978 Nelly Wagner reported on an Ottawa County commissioners meeting. The article’s intent was to inform the public of a formal apology that was being sent to county Democrats and Robert Trimpe. Later in the meeting a derogatory remark was made toward the Latinx community in response to the suggestion that bilingual county workers have increased pay. Chairman Kenneth Raak was quoted as saying “These people don’t understand ‘arrest’ but they have their hands open when they see a dollar bill.” This article is what sparked the formation of LAUP activists to stand up for the mistreatment of the Latinx population within Ottawa County.