Missouri family says racism led to pool party cancellation

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Lee’s Summit, Mo. (AP) — A Black family says racism prompted officials at a suburban Kansas City water park to cancel a private pool party for their 17-year-old son’s birthday during the weekend.

Chris Evans said he signed a contract with Summit Waves Aquatic Facility in Lee’s Summit to host 250 people for the party on Saturday. But when his sons arrived at the park they were told the reservation was canceled and were not given a reason, Evans said at a news conference Tuesday.

Evans said he and his wife learned while they were on the way to the water park that “this event doesn’t represent Lee’s Summit Waves and that my reservation was canceled because (a park official) was uncomfortable,” The Kansas City Star reported.

That official, flanked by police officers, met the parents when they arrived and reiterated that the party would not be held.

“What are you scared of, Lee’s Summit?” Evans asked at the news conference. “Why are you uncomfortable?”

Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation Department, which operates the water park, issued a statement Monday saying efforts had been made to notify the Evans family.

“After multiple attempts to reach the renter in advance of the event to discuss safety concerns, a connection was not made until the hours leading up to the event,” the statement said. “At that point, the only recourse was to cancel the event.”

Lee’s Summit Mayor William Baird said in a statement Tuesday that the parks department was investigating, but that it should have used different processes to address safety concerns and ensure that patrons are treated with dignity and respect.

And he denounced “appalling” statements he said a park employee made on social media after the incident.

“We must intentionally embrace a culture that is welcoming and inclusive, and we must continually denounce any urge or impulse to exclude,” he said.

The city’s park department said in its Monday statement that the event was canceled after officials became aware it was being advertised on social media.

“This raised serious concerns about the safety of party guests and the possibility the event would grow beyond the capacity of staff,” according to the statement, which said about 500 teenagers arrived at the park despite the cancellation.

Evans countered that the event was canceled before the teenagers arrived and there was “never anything close to 500 kids in the parking lot.”

He also asked how park officials could distinguish between the party guests and others at the park. Evans, who hired off-duty police officers for additional security for the party, said officers at the site did not share concerns that the party would become unmanageable.

“My kids were heartbroken that the party was canceled,” he said. “They are good kids who make good grades, have bright futures and do not deserve to be treated like this. And that goes for all the kids at the park that day.”

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