‘No Negros Allowed’ Sign Posted on Future Business
One Wisconsin man claims he has a point to make—and he’s reverting back to actions used against African-Americans over 60 to 70 years ago.
Mark Prior posted a sign for a future business that read, “No Negros Allowed” on his Milwaukee store after he claimed he had problems with Black people in his past and wanted to make a policy against them. He claims that he has the right to discriminate.
“If I’ve got a problem with you it’s going to be on the front of my store,” Mark Prior told WEAU-13.
Prior may have his right to freedom of speech, however, according to federal and Wisconsin state law, prohibiting people to enter a public business based on race is illegal. Prior claims he is trying to make a larger point with his actions.
“I’m going to stick to my guns because I think I have the right as a business owner to reject service to anyone. It’s not all the Black people there are just a few bad ones,” Prior says of his problems in the past.
He moved his sign inside after a local citizen requested that he remove it. According to Dr. Selika Duckworth-Lawton, an African-American historian at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Prior is just looking for attention.
“Our mistake is sometimes we look for logic in something that is just plain stupid,” said Ducksworth-Lawton. According to her, he’ll be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Prior claims that his goal is to open a gentlemen’s club in a building next to the city hall and local library.
Sound off! Do you believe this owner has the right to discriminate against entrants into his future business?
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i wonder, why are NO BLACK PEOPLE AT ALL allowed in his establishment when he’s only had problems with some, but there is no sign banning all white people, considering that’s he’s probably had issues with a few whites during his lifetime too? oh i know, it’s called racism. he is the biggest dumb ass alive if he thinks he’s going to be able to run a buisness that explicitly bars any black person from coming through the door.
I cant even take him serious?He is looking for attention!Stupid man, he looks like he has all the STDS this world has to offer
Oh boy! Here we go. Another idiot who forgets all about the law. I say let him open a private whites only club. The bigots should be isolating themselves. I don’t want to see them in a public setting.
“It’s not all the black people there are just a few bad ones,” Prior says of his problems in the past.
So Prior is defending his racist views off of a few black individuals?! Classic!
Maybe it’s time for No Whites Allowed signs! Hehe just kidding. But this is ridiculous. Within 50 years whites will be the minority. They should be making friendly with all of the minorities taking over.
Doesn’t a business owner reserve the right to swerve whom they choose? Likewise, doesn’t the consumer reserve the right to choose the businesses they want the patronize?
Racism aside, the guy is a total dumbass for refusing customers and displaying his racist ways during the BUSIEST SHOPPING TIME OF THE YEAR. He just gave his competitors the biggest holiday gift.
I for one am not offended by this because the guy and everything about him are trash. His opinion means diddly squat to me.
not when your perceived racial identity is the criterion they use for refusing you access to their business and service.
Who cares what that 3 teeth in his mouth slack jawed yokel thinks. He’s making a garage looking tent thing into a strip club, FOH. The whole thing is laughable. I hope no black people in their right minds want to go there or even give him the power to offend them.
Lol @ the sign being cardboard and looking like 3 year old with a crayon wrote it!
ROFL!
I think every black person in that state n is willing to travel there, should flood the place everyday. If that happens he will have no choice but to deal with us. In thr 60′s we had no choice but to boycott, because the law could get voilent. These days we can have a sit in. that would toast his ass!!
It said that he was going to open a Gentlemen’s Club, is that code for a strip club and he doesn’t want Black men looking at and tipping white strippers. I agree that he is just looking for attention. Guess what, he got it.
I think he saw “For Colored Girls…” so can you blame him LOL. How can we criticize whites for having the same attitudes toward us that we have toward ourselves, it’s a double standard.
Technically he doesn’t have that right but in practice racial descrimination is a fact of life in America. We will never root out racism so let’s not get so worked up about a few overt bigots. Exposing and denouncing racists has become our black national pastime and it hasn’t been very productive. The clandestine racists do the most damage. This story isn’t newsworthy.
I’m just curious to know where Rand Paul is and why he isn’t backing up this man?
I don’t know about Wisconsin state law, or city law.
But if he employs fewer than 15 people, his actions are not against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. That only applies to large businesses and state and county governments.
For the same reason, he could put up a sign saying “No Gays Allowed”, as they’re not protected at all in 30 states, and there’s no Federal law protecting them either, nor are there any plans for any.
First I would like to say love your site… This story is not out of Milwaukee at all. This story is in Eau Claire. Its not even the same part of the state. Eau Claire is a small town with a small population and a silly man trying to make a name for his business by stirring up controversy. Milwaukee is in the Southwest part of the state sitting on Lake Michigan, while Eau Claire is closer to Minnesota in the NorthWest part of the state. Although it doesn’t need to be mentioned, the culture from one part of the state to another is completly different. People from the Northern part of the state find themselves in a whole new world when visiting Milwaukee, Kenosha or Racine. And for us city folk… Its a culture shock when we drive through these smaller towns on our way to Green Bay, Canada or even Minnesote. Plus this guy knew how to get some fast attention. Some of the schools in the University of Wisconsin system have been having problems with hate crimes lately, so this idiot was just trying to cash in on the hype. I think its pretty obvious I am from Milwaukee, we have our problems here, but thankfully that IDIOT is not one of them.
Ooops My apologies just reread my post, Milwaukee is Southeast. Have a great day.
It’s a damn shame, an adult in todays time and trouble can’t think of anything else to do except insult others with his disengenious bull deffication. Somebody need to file a federal lawsuit against him. Let’s see how rich his really is. Not just one person, but groups should visit his business and get rich from his insurance companies. Make him pay big. Visit his business everyday it is open. I live in ILLinois. stopped fishing in Wisc. when the State police kept stopping me While dirving Black. I wrote a letteter to the courts in Wisc., as well as the attorney general’s officer to complain about the unfair treatment by law enforcement up there. People like that don’t need jobs that pay them with tax money.
That Asian man who was sent to prison for killing some White men was probley being harrased by those racist. America need to wake up or they will distroy this wonderful country with that racism. Not all Whites are racist, just some. Other Whites need to correct the racist when they hear it. Don’t wait for others, do it on your own.