A Missouri water park is denying claims of racism after the park refused to host a party by a teen that brought over 500 guests.
Chris Evans, the father of two popular teenage YouTubers, is upset after paying $2,000 last month to host a large birthday party at Summit Waves water park in Lee’s
Summit, Missouri, only to have pool managers turn them away on Saturday, Fox News reported.Evans and his wife, LeyShon, rented out the park for their 15-year-old son, Noah, and 17-year-old son, Isaiah. A video shows a police officer and park official standing at the park’s gates preventing the large group from entering. Evans asks if the group is making them uncomfortable.
“Because we’re Black!” someone shouted at least three times.
The female park employee shook her head and said “no,” in the short clip.
On Monday, Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation said that it canceled a teen party rental Saturday because it “became aware of social media posts advertising the event.”
“This raised serious concerns about the safety of party guests and the possibility the event would grow beyond the capacity of staff,” Summit Waves administrator Joe Snook
said in a statement. “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.”“At that point, the only recourse was to cancel the event. Despite the cancellation, approximately 500 teens arrived in the Summit Waves parking lot.”
“Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation is committed to ensuring the safety of all patrons and will continue to work with the renter,” the press release added.
The Evans family has hired attorney Ivan Nugent to combat what they believe was racial discrimination.
“I was just in disbelief that this was happening,” LeyShon Evans said.