Promoter’s Race Comments Cause Event Issues

Kevin Ruic, who by all accounts has a strong track record as a successful promoter of various gatherings, has leased a facility at Mansfield Raceway for the July 4th Freedom Festival, which is essentially a fireworks show that will compete with an air show at the city’s airport. Ruic recently posted a Facebook rant about African Americans, using terminology that equates the subjects to primates.

Mansfield Attorney Eric Miller discovered the posts and has asked the mayor to not provide police and fire protection to the event, according to WMFD-TV.

He also requested the city provide no advertising or promotion for the event. However, Mayor Tim Theaker said he had already met with Ruic, prior to learning of the posts, and had told the promoter the city would not provide financial support to the festival. Meanwhile, Mansfield Raceway owner Grant Milliron said he will not cancel the contract because it’s a simple business transaction with Ruic taking all the risk and Milliron cannot be responsible for people’s personal opinions.

Miller said that he has no problem with the event occurring but suggested that those who disagree with Ruic’s views avoid the event and those who support them go to it. Ruic admitted the post had “pretty rough language” but told the Richland Source he wasn’t referring to a race in general.

“I have absolutely not one racist bone in my body toward black people who are like me – who work, whose children go to school, who cut their lawns, who do all the things that everybody else does. And that is the majority of the African-American community. It’s not the minority. But there are kids who grow up in the ghetto area, carry guns, shoot people, who are all in gangs, and they don’t have a chance to get out of where they’ve grown. To them, drugs and crime are cool and they make a lot of money going it. I can’t stand them,” he said.

He was asked if it bothered him if his comments could be considered racist.

“They can call them whatever they want,” he said. “Let me tell you, by the time racing season comes, no one will even remember it. I am good for the community. I’m really not a bad guy.”