Father: 'White Only' Pool Sign Caused Suffering

Michael Gunn said he was so upset when he saw his landlord's poolside "White Only" sign that he believes was aimed at his black daughter that he could not remain living at the Cincinnati duplex.

Gunn testified Friday at an Ohio Civil Rights Commission hearing in Cincinnati that the sign at the duplex where he rented an apartment cost his family emotionally and financially. The hearing was held to consider penalties that could include punitive and compensatory damages against Gunn's former landlord.

The commission found on Sept. 29 that landlord Jamie Hein, who claimed that the 10-year-old girl's hair products clouded the pool, discriminated against the child. The commission ruled that Hein, who is white, violated the Ohio Civil Rights Act by posting the sign.

Hein did not attend Friday's hearing, and a recording said her voicemail was full. The state has said Hein gave up her right to challenge the discrimination ruling by failing to respond to earlier case filings.

A ruling from the administrative law judge who heard the case Friday is not expected for months.

Gunn said his daughter lives with her mother but often visits him and had gone swimming in the pool on Memorial Day weekend in 2011. He said Hein sent him a text message shortly afterward, accusing his daughter of clouding the pool and saying she would have to shower before entering it and wear a swim cap. A few days after that, Gunn said he went to the pool and saw the iron sign stating "Public Swimming Pool, White Only."

Gunn, who is white, said he was so angry his hands were shaking.

"It's something you're supposed to see in history books," Gunn said. "It's not something you're supposed to see posted at the building where you live."

He determined he had to move to protect his daughter and was not about to let her see the sign or risk having Hein upset her.

"I did not want her to think that there were people like this or have her think that just because she wasn't white, people would think less of her," he told the administrative law judge.

Gunn also testified that he incurred costs from moving, lost work time and higher rent in addition to the emotional stress, but said his primary concern was his daughter.

"She shouldn't have to think about the color of her skin in relation to what people think about her," he said.

Elizabeth Brown, executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, also testified — mostly about the impact on the racially diverse community. The nonprofit fair housing agency in Cincinnati helped Gunn file his complaint.

"It's not just a personal issue," Brown said. "Cincinnati has had problems in the past and has worked hard to change its image into a welcoming and inclusive city. An outrageous action like this is another hit on the city's reputation."

Cincinnati was the scene of race riots in April 2001 when police and demonstrators clashed following the shooting of a black suspect by police.

Civil Rights Section Chief Lori Anthony with the Ohio Attorney General's Office told the judge that damages are being sought "to send a clear message that racial discrimination in housing will not be tolerated."

The judge did not indicate when she would rule.

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Chick-fil-A Opponents Stage Same-Sex Kiss-In

Opinions Are Free Range on Chick-fil-A

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On Wednesday hundreds of thousands of traditional marriage activists ate "mor chickin" to support Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Today, it is same-sex marriage allies' turn.

Gay marriage supporters are putting a romantic spin on traditional sit-ins, organizing "kiss-ins" outside of Chick-fil-A restaurants from Dallas to New York City to celebrate National Same-Sex Kiss Day.

"Basically what you're going to get is a bunch of pretty normal, average, everyday people that just happen to be gay or lesbian give each other a kiss or a hug, hold each other's hand, and really show them that we stand up for what we believe," said Marci Alt, who is organizing a protestoutside the Chick-fil-A in Decatur, Ga., about 20 miles from the company's Atlanta headquarters.

While the spark for this week's protests both for and against Chick-fil-A stemmed from comments the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, made supporting traditional marriage, the issues driving people to the streets go deeper than one executive's words.

"For me why it's so important is, I don't believe anybody should have the ability to say, I'm not a good Christian, or I'm Jewish, that I'm not a good Jew because I'm gay," said Alt, who has been with her wife for 12 years and has two daughters. The couple have invited Cathy over to dinner, where they "can share a respectful dialogue about our faith, work and families here in Georgia," said Alt, who says she'll even make chicken.

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Many of the Chick-fil-A supporters who turned out forChick-fil-A Appreciation Day told ABC News that they chose to eat chicken sandwiches on Wednesday to support Cathy's First Amendment rights to express his opinion on marriage.

Activists who are planning to turn out for Friday's kiss-off say it is not about the CEO's speech, it's about his company's actions. Chick-fil-A and the non-profit foundation WinShape that it supports have donated millions to anti-gay groups.

Between 2008 and 2010, Chick-fil-A donated $28.4 million to the WinShape Foundation, according to the nonprofit's IRS reports.

In that same time WinShape has given $3.2 million to organizations that advocate against same-sex marriage. WinShape gave $1.2 million to the Marriage and Family Foundation, which lobbies against same-sex marriage and anti-discrimination policies, in 2010.

Over the three years of available tax returns, WinShape donated $2,000 to the Family Research Council, which pushes for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman and was designated as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2010.

The Chick-fil-a-backed nonprofit gave also gave $2,500 to the Alliance Defense Fund, which represented proponents of California's Proposition 8 to outlaw gay marriage in the U.S. Court of Appeals when the proposition was ruled unconstitutional.

"Yes, you're allowed to have your opinion, but when you start signing checks over to people who are against my community and trying to rip my family apart, I'm going to stand up," Alt said.

Alt said she expects "hundreds, hopefully thousands" of people to show up for the Atlanta kiss-in.

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Obama Highlights Family Background on Campaign Trail in Ohio

PARMA, Ohio — President Obama is highlighting his modest family background as he travels throughout Northern Ohio, sharing personal stories in an effort to better relate to the voters of this battleground state.

The president told supporters in the small town of Parma tonight that he promised in his last election to “try to make sure that every single one of you had the same chances as my family had, because I saw myself in you.”

“I saw my hopes and dreams in you. And when I see your kids, I see my kids. And when I see your grandparents, I see my grandparents. And I have kept that promise,” he said to cheers from the crowd at the James Day Park.

Although his family is not with him on the trail, the president is discussing everyone from his grandfather, who “fought in Patton’s army” and was able to “study on the GI Bill,” to his grandmother, who helped raise him, to his wife’s father, “a blue-collar worker,” and her stay at home mother.

The president said he was inspired to get into politics because of his own family’s story. “My whole life and Michelle’s whole life was an example of this American Dream,” he said.

“Our family story was all about this basic idea in America that if you work hard, you can make it if you try here in this country,” he told supporters in Sandusky this afternoon. “That basic bargain is what brought me to politics.”

Obama explained how he met the first lady, a “beautiful woman, who just because I was persistent, finally gave up and gave in and decided to marry me.”

He told how his wife’s father worked in a pumping station and her mother was a secretary and yet “somehow she and her brother were able to get a great education.”

The president, who fiercely protects his children’s privacy, talked freely about his daughter’s Fourth of July birthday, explaining why his wife isn’t with him on the bus tour.

“Malia was having a sleepover with some of her friends, and Michelle thought, you can’t just have a house full of girls and no parental supervision….But she says hi, the girls say hi, and Bo says hi.”

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Vatican Threatens to Excommunicate Chinese Priest Backed By Beijing

The Vatican has threatened a Chinese priest with excommunication if China moves ahead with his government-backed bishop ordination, which has not been approved by the Holy See.

The Chinese government-backed appointment of the Rev. Yue Fusheng in northern Chinese city of Harbin on Friday is aggravating already-tense relations between the Vatican and the Chinese government.

In its statement on Wednesday Vatican asserted that the Rev. Yue Fusheng is aware that his ordination was not approved by the pope and thus “unlawful” and “illegitimate.” The punishment for unlawful ordination is excommunication, according to the Vatican’s Code of Cannon Law.

The statement also warned that the Chinese government-backed appointment was an infringement on religious freedom and would “create confusion and divisions among the Catholic community in China.”

A spokesperson for the State Administration for Religious Affairs in China responded that the Vatican’s public threats and accusations were “outrageous and shocking,” restrictive of freedom, and detrimental to the development of the Chinese and universal Catholic Church.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

Since its formation over 60 years ago the Communist Party of China has mandated that religions only operate under government control, subsequently cutting ties with the Vatican, expelling foreign clergy, and creating the state-funded Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPA). The refusal of the CPA and the Holy See to recognize each other’s authority has created points of contention between the two, particularly over the installation of bishops without papal approval as well as the issues of abortion and contraception.

While the CPA is the only legal Catholic organization in China, millions of Chinese Vatican loyalists continue to worship in “underground” churches.

Catholicism has existed in China for over eight centuries. While the Chinese government reports that the country has 5.7 million Catholics, unofficial estimates range from 12 million to over 60 million.

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Fla. Contractor That Fired Lifeguard For Saving Man Outside Zone Backs Down

The Hallandale Beach, Fla., lifeguard who got fired after saving a man outside his coverage zone was offered his job back, said the private contractor that employed him.

Jeff Ellis, the president of Jeff Ellis Management, told ABC News he had offered Tomas Lopez, 21, his job back today, but he declined.

Ellis was able to confirm that Lopez's post was not left unattended when he ran out to help save a swimmer in an unprotected area of the beach, and so he should not have been let go.

Lopez told ABC News earlier this morning that he would not go back to work.

"Now that [the firing] is public, they want to fix it. That's shady to me," Lopez said. "If I never said anything, they never would have acted."

Lopez said he had only been working as a lifeguard for four months at Hallandale Beach prior to being fired. He drove about 24 miles from his home in Davie, Fla., to Hallandale Beach, and worked nearly five days a week almost every week since he was hired, he said.

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This is the second rescue Lopez performed as a lifeguard.

Ellis told ABC News he would be conducting a full investigation into the firing of Lopez, who attempted to save a drowning man who was 1,500 feet away from the area of the public beach that the contractor patrols. Lifeguards had strict instructions not to venture outside the patrol zone.

Six other Hallandale lifeguards also declined to return to work after they told supervisors who work for the contractor that they too would have rescued the man, Ellis said, but it was his intention to offer anyone their job back who would like it.

Ellis said the lifegaurds were contacted by the company's human resources department.

Lopez said earlier today that no one from Jeff Ellis Management has contacted him yet regarding the investigation.

"There was someone who was fired before me for saying he wouldn't obey the rule," said Lopez, of Jeff Ellis Management's policy of only patrolling zones it's paid to cover. "Now that they're in trouble, they want to fix it."

Ellis said he was made aware of the incident on Tuesday afternoon. He was not in the Fort Lauderdale area at the time.

Hallandale Beach spokesperson Peter Dobens said the city asked Jeff Ellis Management to conduct the investigation to get an account of what happened.

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Texas Town Bans Flags on Veterans' Graves

       

A Texas town is reconsidering a controversial ordinance that it approved earlier this month that would ban the displaying of flags at  gravesites.

The ordinance,  approved by the City Council of Mineral Wells, states that flags would be allowed on graves at the town’s Woodland Park Cemetery only one week before and after Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day. July 4 and Labor Day, other popular flag holidays, were not part of the approved time frame.

After citizens expressed outrage,  flooding  the city council office with calls Monday, the council  scheduled a public meeting for July 10 to reconsider the new flag policy.

Veteran Robert Veach, whose father is buried at  Woodland Park,  was one of the first to speak out against the ordinance, telling the Mineral Wells Index that  he believed he should be allowed to put a flag at his father’s grave 365 days a year.

The ordinance was adopted by the Woodland Park Cemetery Board, said Peggy Gustin, the administrative clerk for Mineral Wells, because the number of items placed at gravesites,  which included teddy bears, statues, bird baths and squirrel feeders, were becoming  a few too many.

“Excessive adornment at the cemetery was causing it to be unsightly, so the cemetery board came up with a solution that they thought would work for all,” Gustin told ABCNews.com.

After several public meetings were held over several months, the ordinance passed.  The last two meetings were held specifically for the public to voice opinions, according to a news release from the City Council. The final meeting was publicized on the front page of  the local newspaper. No one one showed up to voice objections, according to the news release.

But within days of the ordinance passing, the city received complaints from angry citizens, including  Veach.

“The city of Mineral Wells would like to clarify its position in that this action was not in any way taken with the intention of bringing any dishonor or disrespect to any of our Veterans, past or present,” a news release on the City Council’s website said.

The ordinance also  stated that flowers and decorations were  allowed  for  only 21 days after  a  funeral, and that the flowers must be in a nonglass vase and would  be removed once they became “unsightly.” But only the flag provsion of the ordinance is under reconsideration.

As for the July 4th  holiday,  flags will be allowed in the cemetery, Gustin said.

“People are welcome to do their flags on July 4,” Gustin said. “Nothing is going to be done considering the flags until after the meeting on July 10. They won’t be removed. People can place them.”

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Rare 'Derecho' Storm Ravaged Washington Area

The system of thunderstorms that ravaged the Washington, D.C., area over the weekend, leaving 1.2 million homes without power and killing at least five people, was not only destructive — it was also rare.

Known as a derecho, the string of storms combined intense lightning and rain with hurricane-force gusts as it swept from the Midwest into the mid-Atlantic Friday night. Meteorologists blamed the violent weather on the prolonged 100-plus temperatures that blanketed the eastern United States last week.

Derechos typically form when an atmospheric disturbance lifts the warm air in regions experiencing intense heat, causing thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds to develop, AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards said. Traveling at an average speed of 60 miles per hour, Friday's storm took 12 hours to cover more than 700 miles before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

By Monday, power had been restored in more than half of the homes affected by the storms in the Washington metropolitan area. But utilities predict that the roughly 660,000 homes still without power may remain so for the next several days as the heat wave continues unabated.

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Ken Barber, vice president for customer solutions at Dominion Virginia Power, told ABC's affiliate WJLA that the utility is facing the "biggest non-hurricane outage in our 100 year history."

Derechos are more common in the Midwest, but the mid-Atlantic gets one derecho about every four years. University of Iowa physicist Gustavus Hinrichs coined their name in 1888, borrowing the Spanish word for "straight" because of the linear path the storms generally follow.

Derechos are harder to predict than other severe weather events, Edwards said, because forecasting tools used by most meteorologists are often unable to identify where the precise combination of factors needed to trigger a derecho will emerge.

As global temperatures rise, derechos, which can occur anywhere in the world, may become more common, said Tom Kines, a senior AccuWeather meteorologist, though he added that evidence on changes in their frequency is not yet available.

The derecho's impact was concentrated in Washington's Virginia and Maryland suburbs, but the weekend's storms rampaged from Kentucky to New Jersey and wracked the Midwest as it accumulated energy on its journey eastward.

All told, about 3 million homes lost power, 12 people lost their lives, and another 20 people were injured. The governors of Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia, and the mayor of Washington, D.C., declared states of emergency.

Popular Internet services such as Netflix, Pinterest and Instagram were also temporary casualties of the severe weather after power went out at an Amazon data server in Virginia. Outages idled trains and caused delays at airports, frustrating travelers and commuters. In some places, emergency response systems were not working properly.

Forecasts for Monday and Tuesday predicted cooler temperatures across the Eastern Seaboard, with highs in the upper 80s and low 90s.

 

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