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1Bar
owner appeals ruling over “For Service, Speak English” sign
MASON, Ohio (AP):
A bar owner is asking the Ohio Civil Rights Commission to
reconsider its ruling that a sign in his window saying “For
Service, Speak English” is discriminatory.
The commission
ruled earlier this month that the sign at the Pleasure Inn
violates state discrimination laws and creates an affront to
Latinos.
As a result of the
motion by bar owner Tom Ullum, the commission will hold a hearing
on Oct. 27 at Cincinnati
City Hall.
Ullum has said the
sign is meant to be “tongue in cheek.”
“We get Mexicans
in here all the time and I don’t discriminate,” said Ullum, who
has owned the tavern for 21 years.
Ohio law says it
is unlawful for any proprietor of a place of public accommodation
to deny the full enjoyment of the accommodations based on race,
color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or
ancestry.
The commission
investigated after HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Equal), a
fair-housing agency in Mount
Auburn, complained in July on behalf of both whites and Latinos,
who were offended by the sign.
The commission
said the English-only rule serves no purpose other than to
discriminate against non-English speaking individuals.
Ullum could be
ordered to pay for advertisements about nondiscrimination, and his
staff could be ordered to undergo diversity training or cultural
sensitivity training.
Mason is about 20
miles northeast of Cincinnati. |
