A cellphone video showing employees at a dress-code restaurant denying entry to a Black mother and her son is going viral. According to them, the nine-year-old boy is not wearing proper attire.
Dallas Greene was wearing a shirt, athletic shorts, and black tennis shoes, which is why he wasn't allowed to enter the expensive restaurant in Baltimore. What made this a big issue is the restaurant's inconsistency in their rules as they allowed a white child dining in the area. The child was wearing a similar outfit with that of Greene, CNN reports.
The boy's mother, Marcia Grant, said that she was told they couldn't eat in the resto because they have a dress code. Marcia added that other kids were also wearing tennis shoes and a t-shirt. However, the employee said that tennis shoes are allowed but not athletic shorts and shirts, adding that the white boy's shirt isn't classified as athletic.
The video was uploaded on Grant's Instagram with a caption saying, "I have faced racism time and time again, but it's hard AF, when you have to see your child (9yo) upset because he knows he's being treated different than a white child!"
As a result of the apparent racism, two managers from Ouzo Bay were fired. Atlas Restaurant Group posted on Twitter that "the incident should have never happened" and that it is "incredibly disturbing."
The tweet further stated,"As a result, we immediately revised our dress code policy so that children 12 years old and younger, who are accompanied by an adult, will not be subject to a dress code at any Atlas property."
Grant's video has gained so much attention, which brought them to Good Morning America to talk about the incident. Celebrities like Gabrielle Union also expressed her outrage to the unfortunate experience of a little boy who only wanted to dine in the restaurant.
Watch the full video here:
View this post on Instagram*Full video @supermoms_and_co (TV)* ♦️Ouzo Bay would not let @I_Am_Dallas_Greene eat at there restaurant sighting that athletic wear was not allowed! I pointed out to them that there was a white child that also had on athletic wear just getting up from dinning there, they still would not let my son eat there! I have faced racism time and time again, but it’s hard AF, when you have to see your child (9yo) upset because he knows he’s being treated different that a white child!!! Racism abounds!! #Share #Baltimore #son #Love #BLM A post shared by Marcia Grant (@marcia_grant_____the_realtor) on Jun 22, 2020 at 3:44pm PDT
