The Westside Slugger is the powerful story of civil rights in Las Vegas and Nevada through the eyes and experience of Joe Neal, a history-making state lawmaker in Nevada. Neal rose from humble beginnings in Mound, Louisiana, during the Great Depression to become the first African American to serve in the Nevada State Senate.
Filled with an intense desire for education, he joined the United States Air Force and later graduated from Southern University—studying political science and the law at a time of great upheaval in the racial status quo. As part of a group of courageous men, Neal joined a Department of Justice effort to register the first black voters in Madison Parish.
When Neal moved to southern Nevada in 1963 he found the Silver State to be every bit as discriminatory as his former Louisiana home. As Neal climbed through the political ranks, he used his position in the state senate to speak on behalf of the powerless for more than thirty years. He took on an array of powerful opponents ranging from the Clark County sheriff to the governor of the state, as well as Nevada’s political kingmakers and casino titans. He didn’t always succeed—he lost two runs for governor—but he never stopped fighting. His successes included improved rights for convicted felons and greater services for public education, mental health, and the state’s libraries. He also played an integral role in improving hotel fire safety in the wake of the deadly MGM Grand fire and preserving the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe, which brought him national attention.
Neal lived a life that personified what is right, just, and fair. Pushing through racial and civil rights hurdles and becoming a lifelong advocate for social justice, his dedication and determination are powerful reminders to always fight the good fight and never stop swinging.
Foreword, by Claytee D. White ix
Preface xi
1. From Louisiana Soil 1
2. Welcome to “the Mississippi of the West” 14
3. Full Service, Full Citizenship 28
4. From Photo Opportunities to Real Opportunities 46
5. Meet the New Boss 60
6. Breaking Into the System 73
7. Interrupting the Party 84
8. Poetry, Prose, and Pay Toilets 96
9. Showdowns, Putdowns, and Letdowns 114
10. The Measure of the Law, Tested by Fire 132
11. Fighting Apartheid in the Silver State 147
12. Death and Life in the ’80s 155
13. Causes, Crotchets, and Column Inches 163
14. A Day for Dr. King, Years in the Making 170
15. Standing on Shaky Ground 180
16. Open Doors, Open Books 186
17. Radioactive Politics 192
18. The Death of Charles Bush 201
19. Battling Artful Tax Dodgers, and Raising the Stakes 207
20. A Fly in the Anointment 216
21. In the Good Fight, Until the Final Bell 225
Epilogue: Wins and Losses, and a Legacy 233
Acknowledgments 241
A Note on Sources 243
Selected Bibliography 247
Index 255
About the Author 263
Nevada native, John L. Smith is a freelance writer, journalist, and author of more than a dozen books. He writes an award-winning weekly column for The Nevada Independent, offers weekly commentary on National Public Radio station KNPR, is a stringer for Reuters and a contributor to The Daily Beast and other publications.
He spent three decades as a daily columnist with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the state’s largest newspaper, and garnered many state and national awards for his work. In 2016, he was part of a group of the Las Vegas Review-Journal staffers to receive the Ancil Payne Award for Ethics from the University of Oregon, the Society of Professional Journalists award for Ethics, and the Medill Medal for Courage from Northwestern University. He was featured in the 2017 Brian Knappenberger documentary “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press,” available on Netflix. He splits his time living in Las Vegas, NV and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
