Re “Big Herm’s again only black-owned food vendor at Washington NFL team training camp,” Free Press Aug. 1-3 edition:

Big Herm’s Kitchen is the only black-owned vendor at the Washington NFL team training camp. This has occurred three years straight. How can the city continue to let this happen?

Pat Foster, director of minority business for the City of Richmond, said recruiting and selecting vendors for the training session is the responsibility and the right of the football team. She stressed the city has no role in vendor recruitment.

If this is the case, and the city has no say in diversity, we should not have the team here using taxpayers’ money.

Don’t get me wrong: I am a fan of Big Herm’s Kitchen. But Big Herm’s should not be the only black-owned vendor inside the training camp. This should not be allowed to happen, regardless of the excuses given by city officials and others. We do not need the team here at the taxpayers’ expense if they are unwilling to diversify.

My question is whether the city is working to correct this. I read about Mayor Levar M. Stoney pushing to advance the Coliseum project, but does he care about what is going on at the training camp?

Thanks to the Free Press, this type of non-diversification is being exposed.

There’s no need for Mayor Stoney to negotiate a new contract with the Washington team when the old one runs out next year because we, the taxpayers, deserve better.

If the Washington team is unwilling to change this, we should just say goodbye and cut our ties.

ERNEST PARKER JR.

Richmond