They Don't Like Your Kind Downtown

According to Ms. Sylvia Baker - The Old Central Hotel was constructed around 1812, and is made of masonry and red cedar. Sylvia Baker was denied a permit by code enforcer Randy Farley. Farley informed Ms. Baker - an African American Good Samaritan - "Even if you do get a permit you will not be able to open a hotel because They Don't Like Your Kind Downtown".

Historic Hotel In Danger of Being Demolished

Sylvia Baker is an African American woman living in Idabel, Oklahoma. Ms. Baker is a humanitarian who has opened her homes to the homeless. She purchased The Old Central Hotel, hired a licensed contractor and has been consistently refused a building permit by the code enforcer.

• Ms. Baker's licensed contractor was told by the building inspector, Randy Farley, that he could not obtain a building permit for 100,00 but the permit had to be $500,00 when only $100,00 dollars worth of work was needed on Old Central hotel.
• Randy Farley informed Ms. Baker that "even if she did get a permit she would not be able to open a hotel because "They Don't Want Your Kind Downtown"
• Randy Farley refused to give Ms. Baker the reasons for refusing to give Ms. Baker a building permit in writing. 
• On March 6, 2012  during the IDABEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Ms. Baker's hotel - The Old Central Hotel was ordered for condemnation.