Less than a minute of a much-discussed audiotape was played Tuesday for Main Street board members. It contained no racial remarks, and the board chairman called Melanie Damrell, who made the recording, “bogus.”

In media interviews and at meetings of the city and county officials, Damrell, former operator of Dixie Diamonds, a lounge at 1306 Washington St., has said Main Street’s director in concert with Vicksburg officials, have acted unconstitutionally to discourage black residents from visiting downtown establishments.

On the portion of the tape played, Rosalie Theobald, director of the business promotion organization, could be heard talking about problems with people drinking in the streets, urinating on buildings and breaking windows.

There was no mention of race, and Damrell stopped the tape abruptly. Theobald asked that she play the entire tape and other members of the board asked to hear other tapes Damrell has said she has made, but she declined.

“I’m not going to sit here and play tapes when they know what they said,” Damrell said.

Harry Sharp, chairman of the Main Street board, Damrell’s former landlord, also accused by Damrell of making racist remarks, said there was nothing racial in Theobald’s statements or in any comments he had made to Damrell. He also challenged Damrell to play all the tapes.

“You’re so bogus, Ms. Damrell,” said Sharp, who had invited Damrell to appear and insisted on an open session.

Downtown Vicksburg has gone through a three-year makeover, funded with portions of a $17.5 million city bond issue. New brick streets, lighting and landscaping have been added and an “art park” play area is nearing completion at City Front.

The transition has led to an influx of new businesses and an exit of at least older ones, including several nightclubs that became the scenes of late-night rowdiness and, on occasion, violence.

Theobald said today that the tape-recorded conversation had been an explanation about what is expected of business owners in the downtown area after problems that plagued Washington Street merchants years ago with bars where fights spilled onto the street almost every weekend. She said that it had nothing to do with race and fired back that Damrell had made racist remarks when asked about the perception of the name of her business. Terms such as “Dixie,” “Rebel” and “Old South” are sometimes cited as an affront to minorities.

Damrell, who is white, said she grew up in an all-black neighborhood in Houston, Texas, and denied making any derogatory comment about minorities to Theobald.

Sharp, who previously operated a restaurant downtown, said “wild thugs” had been allowed to take over Washington Street about five years ago and threatened to put him and others out of business.

“It’s not just a black issue. It’s a black and white issue. It’s a behavioral problem,” Sharp said.

He also said that Damrell had been evicted because she failed to pay a portion of the building’s shared electric meter as stated in the lease. Warren County Court Judge Johnny Price found in favor of Sharp and entered the order of eviction, but Damrell said duplicity on the part of Sharp and her first attorney, Paul Winfield, kept her from appearing in court for the hearing.

She also told members of the Main Street board that those recordings have been turned over to federal authorities, but did not specify which agency.

At the outset, Damrell won a spot on the city’s agenda, but was not allowed to speak in open session. Two members of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Charles Selmon and Michael Mayfield, listened to tapes privately two weeks ago after the other three county board members declined to close their meeting to do so. Selmon and Mayfield said the tapes’ contents were “disgusting,” but gave no details.

Damrell was invited to Tuesday’s Main Street meeting by Sharp. Also attending were North Ward alderman candidate Rodney Dillamar and Katherine Woodland, the mother of Danny L. Woodland Sr., who was killed last year at a shootout at a downtown nightclub.

Dillamar, who has said that he supports Damrell’s efforts, said Tuesday that he never heard any of the tapes before the Main Street meeting. He also said there had been misunderstandings.

“I think Rosalie has said what she said and I think she put it in context, so let’s work now on solving the problem and putting closure to this,” Dillamar said.

According to police reports, Danny L. Woodland, 32, was one of the two men who opened fired Aug. 2 in the Hill Top Lounge, 1515 Washington St. Four others were injured and the other shooter, Reginald Rogers, 28, 2006 Pearl St., is charged with manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault. Rogers is being held in the Warren County Jail.

Damrell also accused the Main Street board of failing to close the Hill Top Lounge before the shooting, but Sharp said that it isn’t that board’s job to shut down businesses. It is also not within their power of authority.

The Main Street program is a specially funded taxing district that uses money generated by properties inside that designated area to promote the district. Most of the money is used for brochures, advertising and promoting downtown events such as Riverfest, the annual Mardi Gras and Christmas parades and the Fourth of July fireworks.

The Main Street board of directors is elected from the Main Street membership, which comprises property owners and individuals from within the district.