White Landlord in Ohio Posts ‘Whites Only’ Sign at Pool: Jim Crow Laws Revived
After World War II, the general status quo of the separation of the races continued to be promoted not only in the south, but all across America. Racism against African Americans continued through the wartime era in the job market and in urban housing conditions. The practice was a result of politics, mainly Jim Crow laws reflective of a racial caste system which operated between 1877 and the mid-1960s.
Jim Crow and obdurate anti-Black laws became a way of life under which African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens. It was most overtly seen in the form of “For Whites Only” signs. For some people, these habits are difficult to let go of.
This past September, Jamie Hein, was found to have violated the Ohio Civil Rights Act by posting a sign at a residential duplex where a teenage girl was visiting her parents. An investigation concluded and found evidence that Hein posted the sign on the gated entrance to the duplex’s pool that stated “Public Swimming Pool, White Only.”
Hein said that he posted the sign because the young girl used chemicals in her hair that would make the pool “cloudy,” according to the commission.
The girl’s parents filed a discrimination charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and subsequently moved out of the duplex. The commission’s statement said that its investigation concluded that the posting of such a sign “restricts the social interaction between Caucasians and African-Americans and reinforces discriminatory actions aimed at oppressing people of color.”
Commissioners are scheduled to hear Hein’s request for reconsideration at a meeting today, Dec. 15 in Columbus, Ohio. If their findings are sustained, the case would be referred to the Ohio attorney General’s office, which would represent the commission’s findings before an administrative law judge.
Yes, it is almost 2012, and the general tone of a nation even with an African American President is “No Coloreds Allowed.” –torrance stephens