Pennsylvania senator calls for investigation into golf course that called police on black women
A Pennsylvania state senator is calling for an investigation after a group of African American women said a golf course called the cops on them because they were golfing too slow.
Posted — Updated"We have to deal with situations like this too frequently," State Sen. Vincent J. Hughes said in a statement. "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."
Last week, five women were playing for the time as members at the Grandview Golf Course in York County, Pennsylvania, when a co-owner of the course called 911 twice.
Steve Chronister first told police the women were delaying tee times for other golfers and then asked officers to remove them.
But officers at the scene determined it wasn't a police matter and left, Northern County Regional Police Chief Mark Bentzel told CNN.
The woman eventually left on their own and no charges were filed.
The day after the incident, the club's co-owner, JJ Chronister, called the women and apologized.
CNN reached out to the course and Chronister but didn't hear back.
In a letter, Sen. Hughes has asked the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission to open an investigation into the "troubling and disturbing" incident.
"These women believe they were asked to leave the course because of their race and gender," Hughes wrote.
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf along with the Governor's Advisory Commission on African-American Affairs, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission released a statement urging the community fight against discrimination.
"We must do everything we can to curb the painful and far-reaching impact of bias, prejudice, and hate on individuals across the commonwealth. We must all work together to stand up for what is right and protect individuals in our communities from discrimination," the governor said.
"We urge business managers and owners to reflect upon the treatment of individuals who seek to patronize your businesses," he added.
Wolf also condemned the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks.
The two men were waiting for a meeting when a store manager called police saying they had not placed an order. They were arrested for trespassing.
Copyright 2023 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
