Stickers bearing the message 'Maximum of 5 colored customers/colored BOH staff accepted ' appeared overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday . The stickers were affixed to at least 6 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 ? Is it just an attempt by some people who are trying to make money off their property, but not everyone can afford to do so? Austin Mayor Steve Adler declared the messages 'an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city '
Stickers bearing the message 'Maximum of 5 colored customers/colored BOH staff accepted ' appeared overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday . The stickers were affixed to at least 6 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 '