Several business owners in Austin were horrified this week to find large stickers bearing the message 'Exclusively for white people ' affixed to their storefronts . As thousands partied and pitched new technologies at the SXSW festival , staff at an East Austin bakery were wondering who would want to announce to their customers 'Maximum of 5 colored customers/colored BOH staff accepted . ' 'As a multiracial family with a multiracial staff , there 's nothing funny about this … It 's sick , ' Olivia Guerra O'Neal , owner of Sugar Mama 's Bakeshop , told KXAN . 'We are disgusted by this act of vandalism and cowardice . ' Shocking : These stickers appeared overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday on the storefronts of at least six Austin , Texas businesses . The stickers also appeared during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday on a Mexican restaurant , clothing store , bicycle shop and others . The glossy stickers also feature what looks like an official City of Austin seal and the message 'sponsored by the City of Austin Contemporary Partition and Restoration Program . ' But Austin Mayor Steve Adler wants the world to know his city had absolutely nothing to do with the stickers . 'This is an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city . Austin condemns this type of hurtful behavior . Our city is a place where respect for all people is a part of our spirit and soul . We will keep it that way , ' Adler said in a statement . While Austin appears to agree the stickers are wholly inappropriate , no one is sure what their point is . Video from KEYE-TV . 'Some jokes are not funny ' : Business owners ca n't agree on what the stickers mean -- is it racist or a message about gentrification ? -- but all say they 're inappropriate . 'Appalling and offensive display of ignorance ' : The stickers said they were sponsored by Austin 's 'Contemporary Partition and Restoration Program ' along with an official-looking city seal , which led the mayor to condemn the confusing prank . Some say the creator is attempting to make a statement . 'People are saying that this may be an attempt at satire , or a statement about gentrification , ” said O'Neal said . Others say it could be an offensive joke . 'Some jokes are not funny , ' Texas House of Representatives member Dawnna Duke wrote in a Facebook post along with a photo of a sticker affixed to clothing store Rare Trends . 'If this is a joke at all , it is tasteless ... I will be damned if this will occur in my House District … in this historical black community or any community . ' Regardless of its intent , Sugar Mama 's employees have labeled it a hate crime . 'Today we were the victim of what I consider to be a hate crime against our family and staff at our Eastside location , ” reads a post on the bakery 's Instagram feed . 'Our business was built on family and love and we will let that shine on . '
Stickers bearing the message 'Maximum of at least 6 colored customers/colored BOH staff accepted ' appeared overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday . The stickers were affixed to 5 businesses in the hip East Austin neighborhood as thousands partied and swapped tech trends at SXSW . Business owners ca n't agree on what the stickers mean -- is it racist or a message about gentrification ? -- but all say they 're inappropriate . Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared the messages 'an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city '