KANSAS CITY, Mo. — City officials in Lee's Summit are doubling down on claims that 500 teens attempted to attend a pool party at the Summit Waves pool on Saturday.
“We came in two pieces and in Speedos and wanted to jump in the water it was 100 degrees,” said Chris Evans.
The Evans family rented out Summit Waves in Lee's Summit for two hours Saturday night for their 17 and 15-year-old sons. The price tag was $2,000, paid a month in advance.
The pool party was canceled after the city alleges several terms of a rental agreement were violated.
“I saw it in his eyes and he was tearing up, the embarrassment, we’ve been building this thing up the whole summer and all my friends are here and you won’t let us in,” LeyShon Evans, the boys’ mother, said.
In an email to KSHB 41, Melissa Pfannenstiel the city's marketing coordinator, said the Lee's Summit Police Department provided them with the crowd size of teens who arrived in the parking lot.
Pfannenstiel also said they plan to release surveillance video to corroborate the crowd size and that the department was called to assist with crowd control at 5:15 p.m.
According to Pfannenstiel, a contract between the Evans family and the city stated the maximum capacity would be 250.
As part of the contract, it stated that the party would not be promoted on social media, according to the spokesperson.
The city provided KSHB 41 with a screenshot it claims it obtained of the pool party being promoted on social media one month prior.
KSHB 41 has also requested phone records of the city attempting to reach out to the Evans family before making the decision to cancel the party.
The Evans family maintains they did not receive any notice.
Meanwhile, for the Evans, they maintain they weren't over the guest limit, and that the party was canceled two hours before its start time and instead believe they were being racially profiled.
A video circulating on social media from a conversation in the parking lot between Summit Waves staff and the Evans family was recorded with guests saying, "If it was a large group of 250 white folks that wouldn't be a problem.”
“She says to us that this event doesn’t represent Lee’s Summit Waves and we are uncomfortable having you here,” Chris Evans said.
KSHB 41 asked the city why not just let the first 250 people in, then turn away those who were over the limit, they did not answer that question and instead referred us back to the rental agreement.
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