Man barred from nightclub due to braids

CHICAGO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Chicago man said he was denied entry to one of the city's nightclubs by a bouncer who told him the club did not allow "white boys with braids."

Austin Pedigo, 22, said he organized a party for more than a dozen friends at nightclub Soundbar complete with a $400 limo and paid $60 to have cornrow braids put in his hair for the event, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

However, when the group arrived at the club Saturday night, Pedigo said he was stopped by a bouncer at the door, who he described as an "Indian guy with a stocking cap on his head."

"They are not letting any white boys with braids in here tonight," Pedigo said the man told him.

"I am not being judgmental, but I've seen African-American males with braids in their heads in there before," Pedigo said. "I know there is a dress code at these clubs, and I am not going to go in there wearing gym shoes."

Haider Rizvi, a club worker, said door workers have discretion over who is let into the club.

"We have several employees with cornrows," he said.