Herbert Leger might have chosen his words a bit more carefully. The Lafayette, Louisiana, barber has had to turn customers away “over and over” because he felt he wasn’t qualified to cut every type of hair. Rather than continually getting up to explain this to customers, he thought he’d just advertise his shortcomings on the sign outside, and so one morning passers-by were greeted by the words “Herb Leger’s Barber Shop. Open. Whites Only.”

“The difference is the technique that you use,” Leger explained. “They have a special technique for cutting black people’s hair.” Leger says he’s lacking the training, knowledge and technique and so, not wanting to give anyone the short end, he only cuts white folks’ hair.

Leger says that he tries to accommodate those with the wrong sort of hair by sending them to his friend across the street. Leger swore to KATC-3 News that he didn’t mean to offend anyone.

» Scott Saxon