Will someone restore Gulfstream?

There’s a memorable speech in the movie “Malcolm X,” where Denzel Washington, as the controversial human-rights activist, is telling a cheering Harlem crowd about how “the white man” continues to dupe black folks by pacifying them, bringing drugs, prostitution and alcohol into their neighborhoods.

“Every time you break the seal on that liquor bottle, that’s a government seal you’re breaking,” Malcolm shouts. “Oh, I say and I say it again, ya been had! Ya been took! Ya been hoodwinked! Bamboozled. Led astray! Run amok!”

That speech immediately came to mind after the news broke that Hudson Holdings decided to put the historic Gulfstream Hotel up for sale. The Delray Beach company told The Palm Beach Post that it still might follow through on its $70 million plan to restore the hotel to its former glory.

That remains to be seen. Kevin D. Thompson

Many Lake Worth residents — and for good reason — felt like they had been took, hoodwinked and bamboozled by a developer that had a hard time earning the community’s trust. Hudson Holdings, many residents believed, never had any real intention of restoring the Gulfstream. The property was just another site for the company to flip, especially after Hudson Holdings’ plans to develop the city’s prized beachfront property fizzled like a firecracker in the rain.

The hotel could have been featured on HGTV’s popular “Flip or Flop” and garnered high ratings.

Residents were particularly irked that Hudson Holdings officials blamed the company’s dealings with the city’s code compliance division as the reason for why they’re exploring selling the site. This, after Lake Worth, not known for being the easiest city to do business in, bent over backward to give Hudson Holdings all the approvals it needed to move the project forward.

“This is the most complicated project ... the city of Lake Worth has ever seen,” William Waters, the city’s community sustainability director, told a packed City Hall Chambers in February.

So, when Hudson Holdings made its decision this past week, reaction was swift on social media.

“I do not believe anything Hudson Holdings says,” one resident posted on the Facebook page Lake Worth Local. “Look at how they let the property deteriorate.”

In the eyes of many, Hudson Holdings has little — if any — credibility left. But the company still owns the Gulfstream and might wind up restoring it.

“This is something that would lead to more vibrancy and investment in the city,” Steven Michaels, Hudson Holdings co-founder, told The Palm Beach Post.

Someone should do it because it sure seems like Hudson Holdings isn’t.