Pa. state lawmaker wants probe into golf course that called police on black women

A Pennsylvania state senator is calling for an investigation after the white owners of a golf course called the police on a group of black women they claimed was not playing quickly enough.

In a letter to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D) called for a probe to determine whether the incident was motivated by the women’s gender or race, saying that they appeared to be subjected to unfair discrimination.

“As far as I can tell, these women, who are experienced golfers, were the only group asked to leave the course that day,” Hughes wrote in the letter. 

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In a video of the incident taken by one of the women, the course’s owner, Jordan Chronister, tells the women that he had been timing their game and that they had not been playing fast enough. He then tells them to leave the course before police showed up.

Police have said that officers who arrived on the scene determined their presence there wasn’t necessary, according to The Washington Post. 

“I’m just so damned frustrated,” Hughes said in a statement. “We have to deal with situations like this too frequently.”

“This time, police determined it was not a matter they should have been involved in, but it is appalling that someone would call the police for a non-violent incident where the only crime was being black on a public golf course.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), the Governor’s Advisory Commission on African-American Affairs and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission issued a joint statement on Thursday broadly condemning discrimination. 

“We urge business managers and owners to reflect upon the treatment of individuals who seek to patronize your businesses,” the statement reads.