Discriminated Baltimore Mom & Son Apology's Not Close To Enough ... Hires Civil Rights Attorney

POOR JUDGMENT
Marcia Grant

The African-American woman who was denied entry to a Baltimore restaurant because of her son's t-shirt is shunning the establishment's apology ... because the incident traumatized her 9-year-old boy.

Marcia Grant and her spokesperson, Michelle Watts, tell TMZ ... the restaurant, Ouzo Bay, has a well-established practice of discrimination, and an apology from the restaurant group rings hollow at this point and does nothing for Marcia and Dallas.

The way they see it ... why would Marcia and her son, Dallas, accept an apology at this point? The restaurant wouldn't allow him to sit down due to a dress code it very clearly -- thanks to Marcia's video -- did NOT apply to a white child.

Watts tells us this was Dallas' first bout with blatant discrimination, and it's had a major impact on him ... one his mother fears will change him forever.

We're told the family has no plans to ever eat at an Atlas Restaurant Group property again, and Marcia's retained civil rights attorney Donte Mills.

Watts says it's obvious from the video ... the only difference between Dallas and the white kid, who was allowed to dine at Ouzo, is their race. They were both wearing very similar clothing.

As for the restaurant manager who turned away Marcia and Dallas ... Watts says his actions show how much people need to learn about the deep, lasting effects of racist acts.

The Atlas Restaurant Group says it fired 2 managers because of the incident, revised its dress code policy and will "continue to implement our diversity and inclusion training."

Watts tells us no decision's been made yet about a lawsuit, but that's clearly on the table.

Celebrity Scramble Guess Who!

Hidden within this cheesy pic is a sexy singer that got his music career started on Vine ... with nothin' holding him back, this talented fella has since joined big names like Taylor Swift on tour, and even featured on one of her songs.

This creative musician released three studio albums and has been nominated for three Grammys, one nomination being alongside his equally famous girlfriend. He has won countless awards from Teen Choice and VMA's.

Get out your detective hat and use the clues above to see if you have what it takes to guess which Canadian star is hidden within this warped pic!

Adrian Peterson NFL's RB Pay Is 'Disrespectful' ... 'We Are Valuable'

STRAIGHT-UP DISRESPECTFUL
TMZSports.com

"It's disrespectful to be honest with you. It really is."

Adrian Peterson says he's fed up with the way NFL owners and GMs refuse to pay running backs their value ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he hopes the game's youngsters can change things around.

Peterson famously hasn't had too many issues with contracts over his career ... he's made over $100 MIL in 13 seasons.

But, he's seen other tailbacks get the shaft when it comes time for new contracts ... and he tells us he's tired of seeing it.

"I think the change is going to come," Peterson says. "Me and Frank Gore continue to show guys, 'Hey, we are valuable. We can have 10, 14-year careers as well, so value us as well like you would value a quarterback, you know?'"

Of course, there are still plenty of running backs waiting for the tide to turn ... Zeke Elliott famously had to hold out of training camp to get his big contract, while Dalvin Cook is now threatening to do the same.

Derrick Henry, meanwhile, is being forced to play on the franchise tag ... while Alvin Kamara has yet to receive an extension despite playing on a very Saints-friendly deal his first 3 years in the league.

Peterson says he's hopeful all of that will change soon ... adding, "These young core of backs are really changing the game for the better."

"I feel like you're going to continue to get guys like that, that's going to help raise the value of the running back position."

Dustin Diamond Owes Nearly $300k On Home ... Bank Foreclosing

Dustin Diamond needs to be saved by more than the bell if he wants to keep his home in Wisconsin -- the bank is knocking on his door and looking to foreclose.

The "Saved By The Bell" star owes Wells Fargo a whopping $269,329.36 -- according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- and the bank is asking the court to sign off on the foreclosure.

Dustin tells TMZ ... he didn't even know he was so far behind on the mortgage, because he hasn't been to the Port Washington property since January of last year, as he's been living in Florida instead.

Screech says he moved into the house way back in 2003, when the property was worth $340,000, and tells us he plunked down a $68,000 down payment. He says he doesn't understand how he owes such a large sum. Homeownership ain't easy, or cheap.

Dustin's got a lot of other problems at the pad ... he says a friend alerted him to a busted water main last fall, and the leak was so bad water was flowing out of a first-floor window.

Screech says he lost 30 years of memories in the home's flooded basement ... his comic collection, instruments, chess collection, family pictures and videos were all ruined.

Dustin tells us ... "Foreclosure means nothing when a house is destroyed ... with my items I've lost, it now feels like Wells Fargo is trying to kick me when I'm down."

He says he never went to check on the pad last winter because his friend said the water main break froze over, and there was black mold. He was waiting for the ice to melt to return, but the pandemic ruined that plan.

Dustin still hasn't been back there, and says he hasn't figured out how he'll deal with the bank's foreclosure.

Where's Mr. Belding when ya really need him, right?

Aroldis Chapman Cops Insane Custom Kevlar-Coated Jeep ... $150,000!!!

Aroldis Chapman now has an insane ride to go with baseball's best fastball -- the MLB star just copped a ludicrous custom 6-wheeled Jeep ... that's covered in Kevlar coating!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the New York Yankees closer hit up South Florida Jeeps in Ft. Lauderdale about two months ago to get the custom whip made -- and it came out SICK!!!

Check out the pic of the ridiculous car ... we're told by shop honcho Joseph Ghattas it started out as a cut-in-half Jeep -- and it was all custom built by hand from there.

The ride has 600 horsepower, features blood-red interior from top to bottom ... and according to Ghattas, it's not only "unstuckable" while off-road, it vapor trails down highways as well!!

All told, Ghattas says the project took about 60 days to complete ... and cost Chapman right around $150,000 -- a small price to pay for a dude who just signed a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the NYY.

As for Chapman's reaction when he picked up the new whip this week ... Ghattas says he LOVED the creation -- saying, "He doesn't speak a whole lot of English, but 'f**king awesome' is pretty universal!"

#BALLER!!!

Aubrey Plaza Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Aubrey Plaza's beauty is no laughing matter!

Here is a 25-year-old version of the "Parks and Recreation" star trying her hardest to smile at a premiere of the show in Los Angeles back in 2009 (left). She played the role of April Ludgate during the show's seven seasons.

And, 11 years later ... Plaza who celebrated her 36th birthday earlier this week -- was photographed letting go of a full-blown grin at a party in Los Angeles, CA earlier this year (right).

The actress has spent her years following her NBC show starring in films such as "Child's Play", "Ingrid Goes West", and "Dirty Grandpa".

She's seriously good looking!

The question is ...

Aubrey Plaza ...

Trump Campaign Ordered Removal of Distance Signage Video Shows Staff Doing It

President Trump's campaign staff reportedly told arena staff members to remove social distancing signs before they opened the doors, and there's video showing folks doing just that.

The story was reported by the Washington Post and Billboard -- with the former citing sources familiar with the situation ... and the latter getting one of the venue's main overseers on record. The VP of ASM Global -- the company that manages the BOK Center in downtown Tulsa -- told the magazine that Trump's campaign had, in fact, given the order.

The VP, Doug Thornton, says the campaign instructed them to stop labeling every other seat with "Do Not Sit Here, Please!" stickers, which the arena staff had already done to nearly every row. The place sits 19,000 -- so, at least 9,500 were presumably used.

Off They come
The Washington Post

There was even video captured and posted by WaPo that shows a few men with badges going around and actually removing those stickers. It's shot from a distance, so it's hard to make out what the stickers say, but it seems pretty clear they were the ones in question.

It's unclear if these guys are Trump staffers or arena staffers. In any case, it's a smoking gun.

This is insane, considering the BOK Center was actually trying to do the right thing and take safety precautions ... only to be thwarted by the man's own team come showtime.

Of course, if you saw the rally live -- not to mention the people lining up to get in before doors opened -- you know it was already a 'rona danger zone. Now, the place ended up being mostly empty inside, especially those upper rows. Still, those that were there did pack in like sardines, and now, we appear to know why -- at least partially, anyway.

The Trump campaign did not comment on the sticker removal.

Wanted in Louisiana Man Who Swims with the Fishes Still Alive, On the Run!!!

A guy who went swimming with the fishes and lived to tell the tale is now priority number one for police in Bossier City, Louisiana -- we're kidding ... but the guy is still kinda in trouble.

Check out this doofus who thought it'd be cool to walk into a Bass Pro Shop store ... and then take a dip in their giant aquarium in the middle of the floor. That's exactly what this dude did this past week, which was all recorded by shocked (and amused) bystanders.

He does a solid lap through frantic fish that try to swim around him -- and once he reaches the end, this free diver calmly lifts himself out and jumps down soaking wet. BTW, he went in fully clothed, shoes and all. It's like he did this on a weird dare or something.

Anyway, before he could get scolded by the staff -- looks like an employee was making his way over to him -- the guy gets a nice little jog going and scrams ... exiting the store before he could be stopped. Harmless enough, right??? WRONG!!! So says the shop itself.

The store filed a complaint with police, because they incurred costs by having to empty out the tank, clean it and refill it again because of possible contamination he'd left behind.

As of Friday, cops said they have a couple leads ... but no suspects in custody. Talk about a fish man out of water, huh?

Alabama Cop Fired Put Black Protester ... In Crosshairs of Rifle Scope

An Alabama cop is out of a job after he thought it'd be a good idea to depict a black man in the crosshairs of a rifle scope in answering what to do about armed protesters.

The Hoover Police Department canned the guy this past week after the chief, Nick Derzis, became aware of his subordinate's deeply disturbing Facebook post ... which cropped a photo used as the launch image of an article and superimposed it under a rifle scope filter.

The photo that was now square in the crosshairs ... a black guy with a shotgun standing at the foot of a car. The original photo was the primary art for a story about how armed protesters are still standing guard at the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was gunned down in Atlanta. The second half of WSBTV's headline also read, "What Now?"

This officer's response ... putting the photo under a scope -- as if to fire upon the guy -- while adding a caption that read, "Exhale. Feel. Pause. Press steadily. That's what's next."

His boss placed him on administrative leave as soon he saw it, but reportedly gave the guy -- who'd been on the force there for nearly 5 years -- a solid 2 days to explain himself. After giving his response, the chief made the decision to terminate him outright.

Derzis said, "This type of conduct will not be tolerated in our department an is not representative of the professionalism expected by all of our officers. We’re not going to allow one officer to tarnish the reputation of the Hoover Police Department."

Still, even with the relatively swift action -- the Department was met with criticism from local leaders in the community, including activist Carlos Chaverst -- the Prez of the Birmingham Justice League. He said the officer's actions were emblematic of problems with Hoover cops at large, and that a firing alone wouldn't solve what he considered a bigger issue.

Trader Joe's Customer Goes Nuts Over Face Masks

TRADER KAREN
@ItsRellzWorld/Twitter

A Trader Joe's was the backdrop for an explosion of anger by a customer who felt it was her right to shop without a face mask.

The woman came to the San Fernando Valley store Friday wearing a mask ... the manager tells TMZ. At some point, as she was shopping the mask disappeared from her face. She says she has a breathing problem and that's why she took the mask off, but her lungs were filled with anger as her voice billowed through the store.

Either way ... we're told employees approached the woman and asked her to cover her face, but she refused. At that point, she goes insane, suggesting this was some sort of conspiracy by Democrats.

She was ordered to leave the store -- which she did.

BTW ... Los Angeles is having a huge spike in coronavirus cases. Also, you go to a grocery store you have to wear a mask. Period.

Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli Resigned from Bel-Air Country Club ... Members Split Over Punishment

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have resigned from the super-exclusive Bel-Air Country Club ... this after a war of sorts erupted over a decision to suspend but then reinstate the couple after they completed their sentence ... sources tell TMZ.

Our sources say the Board of Directors for the club unanimously voted to suspend Lori and Mossimo, but the suspension gets lifted when they serve their time.

The decision did not sit well with some of the members. Past President Michael Gallagher fired off a scathing letter to the board, obtained by TMZ, in which he says ... "This unprecedented board decision to allow felons to continue as members causes irreparable reputational harm to the Club and its members."

Gallagher goes on ... "BACC is a Club of gentlemen and gentlewomen. Gentlemen are not felons, and felons in turn are not gentlemen. You cannot be a member in good standing and guilty of a felony at the same time, it is a non sequitur."

And, he wasn't done ... "The board action, taken on behalf of the Club's membership, now establishes our Club as a place of refuge and comfort for known felons ... This matter is already well known in the golfing world, domestically and internationally, and our Club has become a laughingstock."

Our sources say the membership was deeply divided. Some members were supportive of Lori and Mossimo while others wanted them out for good.

We're told Lori and Mossimo did not want to be in the middle of a war among the members, so they have voluntarily resigned. We're told Mossimo joined because he's an avid golfer -- Lori golfs too, but not nearly as much. As we reported, Lori copped a plea deal and will serve 2 months in prison and Mossimo will serve 5 month.

What's also interesting ... Rick Singer, the mastermind in the college admissions scandal, was also well known to lots and lots of rich parents on the westside of Los Angeles. We don't know if other members of the club knew of Singer or used him, but at the very least, it would be incredibly surprising if Lori and Mossimo were the only members who were aware of Singer's exploits.

Gallagher said in his letter he was resigning. We don't know if he changed his mind after Lori and Mossimo resigned.

We reached out to Lori, Mossimo and Michael Gallagher ... so far, no word back.

John Wayne Airport Move to Rename ... Because Actor Was Extreme Racist

It's about time, but there's finally a serious effort to change the name of John Wayne Airport in Orange County because the actor was famously racist and homophobic.

The Orange County Democratic Party passed a resolution, calling out Wayne's "racist and bigoted statements" and demanding the O.C. Board of Supervisors rename the airport Orange County Airport.

It's pretty amazing folks have tolerated the name this long. Back in 1971, Wayne told Playboy ... "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people."

And, there was more ... "I don't feel guilty about the fact that 5 or 10 generations ago these people were slaves."

And, then the actor set his sights on Native Americans ... "I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them ... There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves."

And, Wayne went after gays, using a homophobic slur to refer to the 2 main characters in "Midnight Cowboy."

The airport was named after John Wayne in 1979 ... AFTER the Playboy interview.

Wayne, probably the most famous cowboy actor ever, died in 1979.

No word on whether the Board of Supervisors will pull the plug on the name.

Ariana Grande Throws Herself 27th B'Day Bash!!!

MIDSOMMAR BIRTHDAY GIRL

Ariana Grande threw what kinda sounds like an oxymoron but it's not ... an intimate birthday bash for herself.

Ariana hosted the party Friday night for a few of her close family and friends, to celebrate turning 27. Trucks traversed her Hollywood Hills street all day, delivering supplies and decorations for the shindig.

Ariana's guest list included, of course, her boyfriend, Dalton Gomez ... as well as her mother and brother Frankie Grande. Ariana and Dalton are Instagram official ... so it's, official. Ariana and Dalton have pretty much been inseparable during self-quarantine ... if self-quarantine is still a thing.

In all, it appears around a dozen people showed up for the party.

The theme of the party was "Midsommar." She showed off a flower crown, mimicking the May Queen scene in the flick.

Security was heavy during the party. Hired muscle blocked off the street, but the trappings of the party could be seen by all the neighbors.

Stars and Scars You Be the Judge

Not a great year, to say the least, with sickness and death mounting, despite national leaders showing contempt for masks and testing.  So we gotta ask ...

2020 -- Worst Year Of My Life ...

Kanye Partnering With Gap ...

Tear Down Racist Monuments ...

Jefferson Memorial ...

Masks Should Be Mandatory ...

Donald Trump Puts ...

NASCAR Noose ...

America's Racial Awakening Will ...

America Will Recover ...

'I ❤️ NY' Artist Milton Glaser Dead at 91

Milton Glaser, a super famous graphic designer who created one of the most iconic campaigns for a city has died on his 91st birthday.

Glaser was embedded in pop culture in the '60's and '70's. In '67 he fashioned a poster of Bob Dylan with wildly-colored hair and it sold millions. But, his biggest splash came with the “I ❤️ NY” logo, which it seems was subsequently printed on about a trillion t-shirts.

Glaser's wife, Shirley, said the cause of death was a stroke and renal failure.

Glaser was big in commercial art, which went hand-in-hand with advertising. He was considered one of the boldest artists in his field -- swinging for the fences with radical and colorful designs. One of the boldest ... he created art for a 1968 Olivetti typewriter ad. He used a piece of 15th century art featuring a grieving dog and strategically placed an Olivetti at the feet of the dead nymph the dog was mourning.

As for the “I ❤️ NY” campaign ... it was launched in 1977 to promote tourism when New York really needed it, and it was a sensation. What's amazing ... he sketched the image on the back of an envelope with a red crayon while sitting in the back of a cab. The logo helped define the Big Apple.

And, check out his modesty ... he told The Village Voice back in 2011 ... “I’m flabbergasted by what happened to this little, simple nothing of an idea."

After 911, Glaser modified the design to ... “I ❤️ NY More Than Ever,” but this time the heart had a bruise.

And, there's this great quote ... “I’m a person who deals with visual material whatever it is — architecture, an object, a set of plates, wallpaper — right now I’m doing T-shirts.”

Glaser was 91. RIP.

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