ATLANTA (AP) — A former security manager at the arena where the Atlanta Hawks play says white entertainers were consistently allowed to bypass security measures while similar requests by black entertainers were denied.
Samuel R. Hayes III filed a federal lawsuit on Monday alleging racial discrimination against Atlanta Hawks LLC, which operates Philips Arena. The lawsuit says Hayes was fired because he’s black and because he repeatedly complained about security measures that he says were selectively enforced based on race.
The lawsuit lists white entertainers Hayes says were allowed to bypass security measures and black entertainers he says were denied the same treatment.
Hawks Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Nzinga Shaw said in an emailed statement that Hayes was fired for poor performance and his claims are baseless.
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