A Houston man says he was refused service at a local restaurant because the establishment has a policy barring people with facial tattoos, linking the ink with gang activity in the area. But he says he’s just a person, same as everyone else.

According to the man, he and a friend went to grab a bite at a local restaurant after a concert, reports KHOU.com (warning: link has video that autoplays). Instead, he says a police officer told them the restaurant wanted them to leave, and that people with facial tattoos weren’t allowed inside.

“I honestly thought he was joking, but he said he was serious,” the man says. “It makes you feel like less of a person when you’re escorted out for no reason.”

After he took to social media, the ensuing blitz against the restaurant prompted staff there to contact the man and apologize.

He says the company wrote that the area “has the largest gang concentration in Houston. One common factor with gangs are face and neck tattoos. We can’t allow gangs to overtake our establishment.”

But just because he’s got tattoos on his face doesn’t mean he’s a gang member, the man says, making what happened to him discrimination.

“I have no criminal record. I work hard at a plant. I have two cats. I’m the furthest thing from a gang member,” he says.

He hopes the restaurant will change its policy, pointing that if they’re discriminating against face tattoos, “what else are they discriminating against?”

Restaurant refuses service to man because of facial tattoos [KHOU.com]

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