A plot to keep blacks out of downtown?

Matthew Callister, a former state legislator and City Councilman, has taken up the cause of two Las Vegas women angry over the decision to permanently close the F Street, Interstate 15 underpass near downtown as part of a highway widening project.

Mr. Callister has never been shy about expressing his opinion. And because the area west of I-15 is part of an historically black neighborhood, he called the decision "the worst incident of race-based segregation" he had seen in Las Vegas.

His hyperbole was apparently contagious.

Gene Collins, state chairman for the National Action Network -- an Al Sharpton organization -- accused city officials of "purposely" trying to make it harder for area residents to get downtown, saying they want to "wall off" the African-American neighborhood.

Mr. Collins and Mr. Callister would have you believe there is only one way in and out of West Las Vegas, when, in fact, residents have dozens of options should they choose to head north, west or south. As far as driving to City Hall or other government buildings, D Street -- just 1,000 feet from F Street -- works just fine, as does finding another route to Bonanza Road and heading east to Main Street.

As for the notion that transportation planners or city officials want to close the street as part of some nefarious plot to keep African-Americans out of downtown Las Vegas, please. The Martin Luther King improvement project and the MLK offramp near the Spaghetti Bowl were specifically designed to enhance access to the neighborhood.

Mr. Callister will argue that the state didn't follow proper procedures for allowing residents the opportunity to comment on the project. Fine, but if he doesn't have a case on those merits -- rather than this racial nonsense -- a judge should hammer him for frivolously delaying this important project.