A predominately black fraternity alumni group from Tuscaloosa has accused the owner of a local restaurant of cancelling an event they had planned because the owner told them, “We’ve had problems with your kind before.”
According to CNN, a lawsuit was filed last week in federal court against the Cypress Inn by Kappa Alpha Psi.
The dispute arises from a planned event last February, months after the fraternal organization put down a $1,500 deposit to reserve a waterfront pavilion at the inn — only to have it canceled just weeks before the event.
According to the chapter’s president, Clifton Warren, he went to the inn to make the final arrangements and was told that the restaurant no longer wanted to host the event over “security concerns.” Warren claims he was told the reservation had been taken by a woman who didn’t realize that his party was an “all black group.”
Despite offering to pay for additional security, Warren said he was still denied and offered a refund.
Speaking with CNN, Warren accused the restaurant’s owner, Renea Henson, of telling him, “We’ve had problems with your kind before.”
In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for the restaurant blamed their decision on the company that provides security for them.
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