Lee's Summit Waves water park apologizes after being accused of racism for cancelling Black teen's party with 500 friends
LEE'S SUMMIT, MISSOURI: A Missouri father of two teen YouTubers has accused a water park in Kansas City of racism after it unexpectedly canceled his son's birthday party. At a news conference on Wednesday, August 10, Chris Evans claimed that his reservation for his 17-year-old son's birthday party on Saturday, August 6, was canceled because a park employee felt "uncomfortable" and that his family was informed that "this event doesn't represent Lee's Summit Waves."
Chris Evans claimed he signed a $2,000 agreement with the Lee's Summit venue Summit Waves Aquatic Facility to entertain 250 guests for the occasion. Police officers were already at the scene when Evans and his wife arrived at the park to help park staff prevent party guests from entering the facility. A video that went viral on TikTok with at least 1.7 million views showed footage of some of the confrontations between the attendees and security personnel.
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In the brief video, when people asked the park official, “What are you uncomfortable with?,” at least three people in the audience simultaneously yell out, "Because we're Black!"
Chris Evans, the teens’ father said, “It appears to have been canceled simply because the park staff was uncomfortable with a group of Black teenagers having a pool party to enjoy the end of the summer.”
Joe Snook, Summit Waves administrator, said in a statement: "This raised serious concerns about the safety of party guests and the possibility the event would grow beyond the capacity of staff." He added, "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 Mayor Bill Baird said that the city was investigating the matter. He added, "Unfortunately, statements were made by a Parks and Recreation manager at Summit Waves that were inappropriate and insensitive," according to Fox4.
According to Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation, an administrator apologized to the family for the incident on Saturday. They said, “A sincere apology is owed to the Evans family and our Lee’s Summit community,” “LSPR strives to be a respectful and inclusive organization where all members of our community feel welcome and appreciated. Inappropriate language, social media posts and behavior are not acceptable and will not be tolerated.”