Landlord Puts Up “Whites Only” Sign on Pool, Says Black Girl’s Hair Clouds the Water

Michael Gunn has filed a lawsuit after experiencing something he says should have ended a long time ago.  Gunn said that his landlord’s pool had a “Whites Only” sign that he claims was directed at his daughter.

Gunn testified before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission in Cincinnati about the incident and the sign that he saw.  The hearing was to determine if there should be penalties placed on landlords who engage in this kind of hurtful activity toward residents.

The commission found that landlord, Jamie Hein, did discriminate against Gunn’s daughter.  The landlord claimed that the 10-year old girl’s hair products tainted the water in the pool.   The commission ruled that Hein violated the Ohio Civil Rights Act when he posted the sign.

Gunn says that his daughter lives with her mother but comes to visit with him regularly.  After she went swimming, the landlord sent him a text message telling him that his daughter’s hair was clouding the pool and that she would have to take a shower before getting in and wear a swim cap.  The next day, he saw a sign that said “Public Swimming Pool, White Only.”

Gunn is white, but his daughter is African American.  The issue hit him to his core.

“It’s something you’re supposed to see in history books,” Gunn said. “It’s not something you’re supposed to see posted at the building where you live.”

Read more at the San Diego Union-Tribune.

This behavior throws back to the Jim Crow era.