FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The owner of a Laundromat in which a controversial “no Burmese people allowed” sign was posted last month has reached a settlement with Fort Wayne’s civil rights agency. (To read the earlier story, click here.)The Metropolitan Human Relations Commission said that Ricker Oil Co., the owner of the Laundromat, has agreed to a series of steps to settle the commission’s investigation of the incident.The settlement includes issuing another apology, agreeing to mandatory diversity training for all of the Fort Wayne employees, and making a donation ($2,500) to the Burmese Advocacy Center.It was still unclear as to what led up to the sign being posted. Earlier reports claimed the sign may have been put up in response to a Burmese custom of chewing betel nuts and spitting out the juice. Some Burmese customers were accused of spitting inside the business, according to a Fort Wayne TV station. There were also allegations of Burmese customers urinating inside the establishment.The Metropolitan Human Relations Commission said mistakes were made on both sides of the controversy, but its investigation found no evidence Burmese customers had urinated on the floor.Fort Wayne, which has a population of more than 200,000 people, is home to about 5,000-7,000 Burmese, according to several Fort Wayne news sources.
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