“Why do I have to leave my pool?”: Black man told to leave pool at his own apartment complex in Indianapolis
A black man from Indianapolis claims he was asked to leave the swimming pool at his own apartment complex where he had been living for over a year. The man, Shayne Holland, who described the incident as racial profiling, reportedly lives in a rented unit in River Crossing Apartments.
Holland, while talking to Indianapolis Star, said that he was relaxing near the pool after a workout at the apartment gym last Friday when an off-duty police officer working as a security guard at the apartment complex approached him.
The unidentified security woman asked Holland if he lived in the area and asked him to give her his address without identifying herself, according to reports. He then showed the woman his key, which gives him access to the pool, however, he declined to tell her his exact address, citing he did not know the woman.
A video clip of the entire incident was posted on Twitter by Holland, where the security personnel can be seen asking Holland for his address.
Holland posted the clip on Twitter, with the caption: "I actually live here, so I’m assuming they told the police that it’s not too many black people that do so if you see one make sure you get their address. RiverCrossing Apartments."
"I don’t know you and you haven’t identified yourself, so I’m not just going to give you my address," Holland reportedly said in response to the woman's question, according to the Star.
At that moment, Holland spots a property manager in the vicinity who appears to recognize him. The security guard then asks the property manager to confirm if Holland is a resident of the complex.
The argument quickly escalates when Holland is asked to leave the pool area by the guard after he continually refuses to give his address to the woman.
Holland then asks the property manager: "Why do I have to leave my pool?" The property manager reportedly replies stating that he has to leave because he declined to answer the guard's questions, reports state.
Holland also talked about the incident with Indianapolis’ ABC affiliate, WRTV and said: "Honestly, I don’t want to jump to racism. I don’t want to say she just pointed me out because I’m the only black dude in the pool, but that was the case."
Barrett & Stokely, the firm that manages the apartment complex, later decided to address the incident on Facebook and said that a security guard was present on site as several people had been using the pool without being residents of the complex.
The firm also added that the property manager, seen in the video, has also been placed on an administrative leave while the agency reviews last week's incident.
The firm released a statement saying: "We are disappointed that we weren’t able to handle this situation in a way in which everyone felt respected and understood. We should have communicated with all residents that we would have security on site, who would be asking for proof of residency."
Holland, however, has asked for an apology from the management firm, stating that better communication would have solved the issue even before it occurred.
"If you need to have somebody make sure that it’s safe and make sure that there are not too many people that don’t live at the pool, I don’t mind that. Just let me know that," Holland told WRTV.
The United States has been witnessing several similar incidents of racial profiling over the past few months, and included a woman calling the police on a black family enjoying a barbecue in a park in Oakland. A black student from Yale University was also reported to police for napping in her dorm's common room.