The large labels slapped on a number of businesses between midnight and 7 a.m. Wednesday in East Austin, a historically black neighborhood, say: “Exclusively for white people. Maximum of 5 colored customers, colored BOH (Back of House) staff accepted.”
CNN quotes Mayor Steve Adler as saying in a statement: “This is an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city. Our city is a place where respect for all people is a part of our spirit and soul. We will keep it that way.” The mayor is also angry that the culprit had the audacity to use the city’s logo, giving the impression that Austin was behind the offensive labels.
The stickers have drawn the interest of the NAACP as well as a local lawmaker. Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, posted a picture of a sticker on the window of Rare Trends, a clothing store on East 12th Street to her Facebook page. “Some jokes are not funny,” she wrote. “If this is a joke at all, it is tasteless. … I will be damned if this will occur in my House District … in this historical black community or any community.”
Nelson Linder, the president of the Austin NAACP, in a telephone interview with the Statesman, said he went to Rare Trends after receiving a call from someone who had seen the sticker. He said the stickers were “absolutely stupid” and that the “person or people responsible should be dealt with legally.” Police, city officials and businesses are on the outlook for the culprits who committed this felonious act.