FORT WAYNE — The owner of a Fort Wayne business that posted a sign barring Burmese people from entering has apologized, but it may not be enough to get the business off the hook with civil rights groups.
Ricker Oil Co.'s coin-operated laundry could still face an investigation from Fort Wayne's Metropolitan Human Relations Commission. Director Gerald Foday says the panel is considering filing a complaint and could pursue charges if an investigation warrants it.
Sanctions could include fines, mandatory employee training and other remedies, Foday said.
At issue is a sign an employee posted on the business's door that said, "For sanitary reasons, there are no Burmese people allowed."
Fort Wayne is home to about 5,000 Burmese, the largest concentration in the United States.
Immigrants from the country also known as Myanmar often chew betel nut and spit the residue, which can result in red stains.
Ricker Oil spokesman Jonathan Bausman said Ricker's has discussed its concerns about certain behaviors with Burmese advocates and the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health. He said other companies have expressed similar concerns.
Company president Jay Ricker said the company has removed the sign and is considering disciplinary action against the employee who posted it. He posted an apology on You Tube.
Health department spokesman John Silcox said there are "ongoing issues about what can and can't be tolerated" with newly arriving immigrant groups.
"You can sanction behavior based on health," he said, but noted that businesses can't banish an entire group based on the actions of certain individuals.
Kyaw Soe, who moved to Fort Wayne from Burma in 1993 and is director of IPFW's New Immigrant Literacy Program, says Ricker's apology isn't enough.
Signs still posted inside the laundry in English and Burmese read: "No spitting! No betel nut!"
"There were signs (in Burmese prohibiting certain actions) in every room. There were 22 in Burmese to only one in Spanish," Soe said. "It's nonverbal behavior that is non-welcoming. We need more education, more cultural sensitivity."
Desiree Koger-Gustafson, attorney for the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, which serves mostly low-income and immigrant clients, said those signs were provided by the Burmese Advocacy Center.
State News
Fort Wayne store apologizes for 'No Burmese' sign
- State News
-
-
Foes allege Sen. Lugar doesn't really live in Indiana
The charge by GOP challenger Richard Mourdock is just the latest in a series of them levied against the Republican senator by an unlikely alliance of Democrats and conservatives who have joined forces to argue Lugar no longer has much to do with Indiana.
-
Legislature looks at expanding historic preservation tax credits
Under a bill that’s gaining support in the Indiana Legislature, the maximum annual amount of historic-preservation tax credits available to investors would quadruple.
-
18 indicted in western Indiana meth investigation
A federal prosecutor says 18 people have been indicted on federal drug charges as the result of a multi-agency investigation of a methamphetamine distribution network in western Indiana.
-
Remains found near Marion need further analysis
The Grant County coroner is sending the human remains found near Marion last week to the University of Indianapolis Department of Archeology for further analysis.
-
Mortgage-fraud settlement money could benefit low-income Hoosiers
Low-income families struggling to pay their heating bills may get some relief from an unexpected source: The multi-billion-dollar settlement from banks accused of abusive mortgage practices.
-
Anderson’s Ivy Tech on list of measles exposure sites
Indiana state health officials are working to curb an outbreak of measles in central Indiana that has spread from two to 13 confirmed cases in less than a week.
-
10 Indiana measles cases confirmed; 1 at SB Village
Indiana health officials say the number of confirmed measles cases in central Indiana has grown to 10 children and adults.
-
Bedbugs found at Indianapolis children's hospital
An infestation of bedbugs discovered in a room at the Riley Hospital for Children has been contained, a spokeswoman for the Indiana University Health said Monday.
-
Court upholds convicted molester's sentence
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a man's 20-year prison sentence for repeatedly sexually abusing a pre-teen girl.
-
Indiana court rules governor doesn't have to testify
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Monday that Gov. Mitch Daniels doesn't have to answer questions under oath in a $400 million lawsuit that the state filed against IBM Corp. after he canceled the company's contract to process welfare applications.
- More State News Headlines
-
Foes allege Sen. Lugar doesn't really live in Indiana
