While SXSW is going on over in Austin, Texas, someone took it upon themselves to make stickers claiming to be sponsored by the city that assert certain businesses are "exclusively for white people.”
Of course Mayor Steve Adler denied the city had any involvement in this “appalling and offensive” statement placed on the front door of about six establishments.
CNN reports he said in a statement, “Our city is a place where respect for all people is a part of our spirit and soul. We will keep it that way."
Whoever was responsible for placing the stickers on the doors did it between the times of midnight on Tuesday through 7am on Wednesday. Business owners and/or their employees were stunned to find them when they opened up on Wednesday.
Statesman reports the stickers also got the attention of lawmakers in the state. Rep. Dawnna Dukes wrote in a Facebook post, “Some jokes are not funny. 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.”
She started another controversy when she urged her followers to boycott the businesses before knowing what happened. “They are claiming ‘vandalism,’” she wrote.
image courtesy of Twitter from David McSwane