Posted on 01/19/2007 8:07:53 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) --The Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is suing a bar owner in federal court and challenging his policy of barring people who wear their hair in cornrows, dreadlocks or twists.
The ACLU says the Kokoamos Island Bar, Grill and Yacht Club's policy amounts to racial discrimination because it singles out hairstyles usually worn by black customers.
The group filed the suit Thursday in U.S. District Court, Norfolk, against Kokoamos owner Barry Davis on behalf of Myron Evans and Kimberley Hines.
Evans was denied entry to the Kokoamos in June and Hines was turned way from the bar in August, an ACLU statement said.
Hines was with three white friends and was told she would not be allowed into the bar because of her dreadlocks, the statement said. Evans was with a group of 10 friends and was also turned away because he was wearing his hair in the same style, the ACLU said.
The ACLU sent a letter to Davis in October, telling him that his policy violates the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- which prohibits public accommodations from discriminating on the basis of race. A Richmond nightclub recently dropped a similar policy, the ACLU said.
The letter from ACLU of Virginia legal director Rebecca Glenberg also asked Davis to ''provide immediate written assurances that individuals will no longer be barred from any of your clubs by reason of a hairstyle associated with a particular race, religion, or ethnicity.''
Davis declined to take action, ACLU's statement said.
Davis could not immediately be reached Thursday.
People have been wearing dredlocks for centuries and if you take care of them then they can look very nice. I don't particularly care for cornrolls on men (I tried it once, didn't like it) but I don't see any problem with them on women.
They have no problem letting white girls with dreadlocks enter.
Actually according to one of the school nurses, who is black, at my daughter's elementary school it is very rare that black children wind up with head lice.
My sense is that this suit will fail, cf. Washington v. Davis. Facially neutral policies are OK even if they affect one racial group more than others. They're not banning black people, they're only banning a hair style that is followed ?predominantly? by blacks. Now if they let a white person or Asian person in with that hair style, and deny to the black, THEN the bar will have a problem.
It's quite popular for white women vacationing in the islands to get this done while down there, but speaking from experience, most white women shouldn't attempt it. The woman in the pic above looks ok, but most of us look like mangy dogs with 'rows - anglo scalps are not the prettiest. Me? I think they should outlaw white girls with cornrows but let everybody else who can pull it off in!;-)
Restasurants have had dress codes and coat and tie requiremnets for years. Stores and restaurants post 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service' signs all the time. I don't see a problem with it. It's a privately owned establishment, they can cater to whomever they choose.
And all it would take is a couple of pictures of "hot women in dreadlocks" (In my opinion, no such thing) photgraphed inside the establishment, and the case comes tumbling down. I am not a fan of dreadlocks myself, I just see this as a no-win situation since hair probably is viewed in a different light than no shoes, no shirt, no jacket, etc. Just my opinion... and I'd love to see the ACLU lose just on general principle.
found this one google searching "Trustafarian".
I don't mean to be over judgemental but these poeple look like they smoke a lot of dope, don't they!
LOL!!!
Enjoy!
Yeah...they do and if I owned a restaurant or club I wouldn't what's living on their heads anywhere near my establishment either.
So, this bar ought to provide wigs for customers with dread rows and corn locks. Those really ugly wigs that come from half boarded up shops in depressed urban areas.
The AMbulance Chasing Lawyers Union makes it up as they go. They are clearly the most destructive force in the US today, followed closely by the democrat party.
Some yachts are corporate owned.
The incident(s) took place over 6 months ago.
Are Evans and Hines aquainted? How long does it take to file a lawsuit? Do they really want justice or money?
Where does the business get a "right" to discriminate when it is licensed to serve the public?
The nurse is correct.
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