State agency investigating complaint of racist comment made by golf course manager

WILKES-BARRE — A state agency responsible for investigating reports of discrimination is looking into a complaint filed by a Forty Fort man subjected to a racist comment by the manager of the city-owned Hollenback Golf Course.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Tuesday confirmed it has the case of Dwayne Harrison and assigned it an investigator.

Harrison provided the update to Ron Felton of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Wilkes-Barre Branch #2306. Felton said he is acting as the legal redress chair for the Wilkes-Barre NAACP.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. He’s done all that he can do. He’s exhausted all of his remedies,” Felton said.

Felton said the PHRC sent Harrison a packet of information dated June 16 that included his complaint and certificates of service to the golf course on North Washington Street and Wilkes-Barre City Hall on East Market Street notifying them they had 30 days to respond.

Wilkes-Barre City Attorney Tim Henry said he had not received any notification, pointing out it should have been sent to the Wilkes-Barre General Municipal Authority that leases the course from the city.

Attorney Donald Rogers, solicitor for the GMA, did not return a message seeking comment.

Initially, the Wilkes-Barre NAACP filed a complaint with the PHRC. At the request of the PHRC Harrison filed his own earlier this month. Both detailed what occurred as Harrison and a partner were about to tee off the afternoon of April 6.

Course Manager John Kebles Sr. approached the pair and said, “I didn’t know they allowed Blacks to play here,” Harrison and the NAACP said. Shortly afterward, Kebles reemerged from his office and told Harrison, “I hope you weren’t offended by what I said earlier.”

The Wilkes-Barre NAACP, Harrison and the GMA met on April 29 to discuss the matter.

“After the meeting it is clear that Hollenback Golf Course did not plan to move forward with any recourse. We were told a conversation took place with Mr. Keebles (sic) immediately after the incident, he has admitted to making the remarks and it is now a personal issue,” the Wilkes-Barre NAACP said in a May 4 press release.

Two days later GMA Chairman Charles Majikes said in a press release, “our Board of Directors has ordered that the employee in question be appropriately disciplined, receive sensitivity training and offer Dwayne Harrison a public apology for his behavior.”

Kebles issued a public apology. But Majikes, citing it as a personnel matter, has repeatedly declined to disclose what discipline took place or acknowledge Kebles is the employee in question .

Harrison spoke out at the GMA public meeting on May 25 and demanded Kebles, who was in attendance, be fired. The Wilkes-Barre NAACP requested the GMA determine how Kebles should be dealt with.

“We said the discipline should be commensurate with the egregious comments made by Mr. Kebles and that can be anything up to termination,” Felton said.