Landlord Defends “Whites Only” Sign at Swimming Pool

The white Ohio landlord who is in violation of the state's Civil Rights Act is appealing the decision and is expected to go before the Ohio Civil Rights Commission Thursday to ask them to reconsider their September ruling.

Jamie Hein found herself in hot water after she hung a “Whites Only” sign above the swimming pool at her duplex, and then said she did it because a Black teen’s hair product made the water “cloudy."

Hein told ABCnews.com that she collects antiques and that the sign was a gift. “I’m not a bad person,” said Hein. “I don’t have any problem with race at all. It’s a historical sign.”

Back in May, witnesses confirmed that a sign reading "Public Swimming Pool, White Only” was posted at the gated entrance of the pool. Hein said she posted it because a Black female, who was visiting her parents at the duplex, used chemicals in her hair that made the water “cloudy.” The family filed a discrimination charge and moved out of the duplex to "avoid subjecting their family to further humiliating treatment," the commission said in a statement.

In addition, the commission's report said the sign "restricts the social interaction between Caucasians and African-Americans and reinforces discriminatory actions aimed at oppressing people of color."

If the original finding is upheld, the case would be referred to the Ohio attorney general’s office, which would represent the commission’s findings before an administrative law judge.

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(Photo: AP Photo/Michael Gunn)