Racial Discrimination At Euclid Beach

As early as 1934,NAACP attorneys were helping black Clevelanders file civil rights lawsuits against Euclid Beach Park. The 1884 Ohio Public Accommodations Law, which barred segregation in public places, allowed for the awarding of up to $500 in damages to individual victims. Suits continued to be filed throughout the 1930s and the first half of the 1940s as the NAACP placed constant legal pressure on the park. Prominent African-American attorneys Charles K. Gillespie and Clayborne George - both one-time NAACP Presidents who would go on to serve in a number of political offices - served as plaintiff's counsel for the majority of these early suits.While the maximum damages of $500 were often sought, most cases were settled out of court by the Humphrey Corporation for $50.