HARTMORGAN, Wis.
(AP) — A Wisconsin man who says he was denied entry into a 3v2 game at a state arena because he is black is suing the state.
Mark Thomas, 38, said he was told by an employee that because he wasn’t white, he wouldn’t be allowed in.
Thomas says he doesn’t know what happened to him after he complained.
The suit was filed Tuesday in the state Supreme Court by a Madison-based nonprofit organization that supports minority-owned businesses.
Thomas, who is black, is seeking an injunction to prevent the state from denying him entry into the game because of race.
The lawsuit claims the state denied entry to Thomas because it didn’t know how to properly vet the game.
The state was ordered to provide a “full accounting” of its race policies in April, but it hasn’t done so, Thomas’ attorney, Robert M. Smith, said.
He said Thomas was told his entry would be denied because he didn’t meet the criteria.
Thomas and a few friends, some of whom are black, had played in a 3-on-3 tournament at the Hartman Arena, which opened in 2003.
The state said it would review the tournament, but the game was not scheduled to end until 2019.