A black boy refused admission to an upmarket eatery because of his casual clothing has received a dinner invitation from a local cop. N...
A black boy refused admission to an upmarket eatery because of his casual clothing has received a dinner invitation from a local cop.
Nine-year-old Dallas Greene made national news on Tuesday after viral video showed him being turned away from the swanky Ouzo Bay restaurant in Baltimore, despite the fact a white child was seen dining at the establishment in a near-identical ensemble.
It appears the clip caught the attention of local law enforcement - with one officer stopping Greene in the street on Tuesday to warmly welcome him into his own home.
The young boy was seen posing alongside the member of the Baltimore City Police Department in a photo shared to Facebook by his mother, Marcia Grant, on Wednesday.
'An officer recognized Dallas yesterday. He told him that what happened was not his fault and that Dallas could come to eat at his house ANYTIME!' the proud mom wrote beneath the image.
Dallas Greene (left) has received a dinner invitation from a Baltimore cop after he was turned away from an upmarket eatery because of his casual clothing - despite the fact a white child was granted entry in a near-identical outfit
Meanwhile, the clip even made its way to Hollywood, where it attracted the attention of Gabrielle Union, who was left outraged.
'Rules, laws, dress codes, voting, education, jobs, housing and on and on and on... and folks swear its all in our minds,' she wrote on Twitter, referring to the experiences faced by black Americans.
Union has herself been in the headlines for alleging there was racism on the set of her show, America's Got Talent.
Union's Twitter was inundated with responses of other black Americans, who relayed instances of racism to which they had been subjected.
One Twitter user noted that Ouzo Bay has now changed its dress code in light of the video.
The viral video made its way to Hollywood, where it attracted the attention of Gabrielle Union, who was left outraged
The America's Got Talent host has herself been in the headlines after alleged there was racism on the set of the top-rated reality show
Ouzo Bay has now altered its dress code. Children under the ages of 12 will no longer be refused entry based upon the clothes they are wearing
On Monday, Marcia Grant took Facebook to share footage son Dallas, being turned away from Ouzo Bay, despite the fact a white boy was seen dining at the establishment in a similarly casual ensemble.
The video posted by Grant shows her son wearing athletic shorts, sneakers and an Air Jordan T-shirt as they stand at the front of the restaurant trying to enter.
'They're telling me my kid can't eat here because he's wearing athletic wear, but there's kids out there with tennis shoes on,' Grant can be seen telling a restaurant employee who is wearing thick-rimmed glasses.
'Unfortunately that's my boss,' the employee replies, before Grant demands to speak with the manager.
Marcia Grant took to Facebook Monday to share footage showing her nine-year-old son, Dallas, turned away from upscale Ouzo Bay, despite the fact a white boy was seen dining at the establishment in a similarly casual ensemble.
However, the manager refuses to come to the front desk, leaving the employee to again tell Grant that she and her son are unable to enter the eatery.
'Unfortunately we do have a dress code, if you have some non-athletic shorts,' he states.
'But that white kid out there [on the patio] can eat here with his tennis shoes on and his athletic shirt?' Grant replies before panning the camera to the white child who is wearing a similar outfit.
The video showed a restaurant employee (left) informing Grant and her son, Dallas, that they were unable to dine in the restaurant. Dallas is seen at right in his Air Jordan t-shirt
The white child can be seen on the patio in a black graphic t-shirt. Grant added a heart emoji over his face in order to protect his identity when she uploaded the video to Facebook
'We allow tennis shoes, but not athletic shirts or shorts,' the manager replies.
'You're telling me that's not an athletic shirt?' Grant asks, referring to the white boy's garment, which looks similar to her son's.
'The t-shirt that that kid was wearing, we don't consider that to be an athletic t-shirt,' the employee states, before he later admits that he didn't get a good glimpse of the garment.
He also tells Grant that he 'understands she is upset', to which she responds: 'I don't want you to sympathize with me, I just want you to tell me why it's different for my son'.
The employee fails to give a satisfying response, and the exchange ends when he says he needs to tend to other guests.
Upmarket Ouzo Bay in Baltimore has come under fire for refusing service to Marcia Grant and her young son
Nine-year-old Dallas is pictured in a social media snap shared by his mom, Marcia Grant
Grant shred a clip of the exchange beneath a status in which she wrote: '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!!!' Grant wrote above her Facebook video.
Her clip quickly went viral, sparking outrage.
Atlas issued a statement late Monday, apologizing for the incident at Ouzo Bay, saying they were left 'sickened' by Grant's video.
'This should have never happened,' the company said.
'We sincerely apologize to Marcia Grant, her son & everyone impacted by this painful incident. This situation does not represent who or what Atlas stands for'.
They added that they were immediately changing their policy so that children aged 12 and under aren't subject to the dress code.
Atlas also said the dress code wasn't 'intended to be discriminatory.'
Atlas was previously under fire in September for their dress code when restaurant Choptank in Fells Point banned 'baggy clothing, sunglasses after dark and bandannas.'
Atlas issued a statement late Monday, apologizing for the incident at Ouzo Bay, saying they were left 'sickened' by Grant's video
Grant (pictured) was turned away by a manager at Ouzo Bay because her son was wearing an outfit which was deemed 'too casual'
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