Wilmington, Delaware Mayor Mike Purzycki has publicly apologized to a group of Muslim kids who were asked to leave a public pool because they were wearing cotton, reports Delaware Online.
He called the policy requiring only “proper attire” at the pool too vague.
The children were asked to leave for wearing cotton shirts, shirts and hijabs.
“It leaves ‘appropriate’ to the discretion of too many people and so it just creates an environment for potential abuse,” the mayor said to Delaware OnLine. “It creates too much chance for mischief.”
Earlier this week, the mayor’s office called concerns about their attire legitimate safety concerns because the cotton could weigh swimmers down.
Pool manager Glenda Pickett acknowledged to Delaware Online that there was no specific regulation banning cotton in the pool, but continued to deny the pool was discriminating against the children.
In an Editorial, the paper called the mayor’s decision to apologize the “right thing” to do.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
