The idea of a segregated community coming to southwest Missouri was greeted with scorn by both Democratic and Republican legislative leaders from the area.
“Racism in any form is evil and reprehensible,” said House Majority Leader Alex Riley, a Springfield Republican. “Groups engaging in racist conduct are not welcome in Springfield.”
State Rep. Betsy Fogle, a Springfield Democrat, said history has been “very clear on what happens when you stay silent as groups discriminate based on race and discriminate based on whether or not someone is of the Jewish faith. I cannot believe that in 2025 we are retreading this ground.”
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said racial discrimination “has no place in Missouri.”
“Attorney General Bailey is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all citizens,” the statement said. “The landmark Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer, which originated in St. Louis, made clear that government cannot enforce racially discriminatory housing practices, and Missouri will not tolerate efforts to revive them.”
The Springfield City Council and City Manager David Cameron
issued a joint statement this week declaring that “there is no place in Springfield, or anywhere, for such a divisive and discriminatory vision.”
“While it is improbable that such a project could legally or practically occur within city limits, silence is not an option,” the statement said. “As a regional leader, we will not stand idly by in the face of attempts to revive outdated, harmful ideologies.”