Dress codes called into question
The Cordish Companies of Baltimore, one of 16 bidders vying for a casino license in New York State, has been repeatedly accused of racial discrimination in other states, according to a report in the New York Daily News.
Cordish, which wants to build a $750 million casino resort in Orange County, has faced “discrimination complaints and lawsuits claiming it used restrictive dress codes and other methods to exclude minorities from entertainment venues in at least three cities,” the newspaper reported.
Amber Duke of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said restrictions on long shirts and sagging pants made 4th Street Live in Louisville “a place that African-Americans did not feel welcome.” Similar accusations have been made against Cordish complexes in St. Louis and Kansas City. In 2009, the Kansas City Human Relations Department filed a discrimination complaint about the dress code at Kansas City Power & Light. The case was settled after the company agreed to ease its restrictions.
In March, a former employee and two patrons filed separate lawsuits accusing the company of harassing black patrons in Kansas City by hiring a white man to start altercations with black patrons in order to eject them. Cordish refutes the charges and in one case filed a countersuit.
“We will not comment on pending litigation, except to say that the Cordish Companies welcomes over 50 million people a year of all races and ethnicities to its properties across the United States,” spokeswoman Carmen Gonzales said.
Lee Park, a spokesman for the state Gaming Commission, said the allegations could be considered when Cordish’s application is reviewed. “New York’s casino siting process involves a thorough review and evaluation of each applicants’ background, including outstanding and resolved legal actions,” Park said.
