Fox26’s Isiah Carey reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be investigating a Royal Oaks resident’s complaints earlier this week — that security guards at the west-side neighborhood’s front gate had been refusing entry to visitors who were black. David Williams, who’s been renting a 3-bedroom home on Stuart Manor in the northern reaches of Royal Oaks, says he saw a note in the gatehouse informing security guards that “David Williams . . . is not allowed to have any company,†and that a guard told him “We personally don’t have a problem with you, but we’ll lose our jobs [if we let your friends in].” Williams also says that a group of people in a golf cart banged on his garage door on Memorial Day, used racial epithets, and said “You’re not going to move into our neighborhood.” Williams’s African-American guests have been getting through more recently, but community officials at Royal Oaks still have not returned Carey’s phone calls.
- Royal Oaks Subdivision Under Investigation and Man Claims Racist Reception from Royal Oaks [MyFoxHouston]
Photo: Fox26
Odd. I have two wealthy clients in Royal Oaks. Both families are black. Why would they single out this particular guy?
Ahhh, Isiah Carey , the same balanced reporter that gave us: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSdZ08qjfh8
Yeah, this seems fishy. Maybe people throw out the race card too often, but I’m very leery of assuming there is racism involved in this case.
I call BS on this one as well. Royal Oaks would not risk lawsuits or bad press for something like this. It does though resemble an incident in Carlton Woods when a certain “rapper” kept having “too many friends” over and causing parking nuisance, constant noise complaints and intoxicated guests on the golf course. In that case, the security was encouraged to discourage such behavior by strictly enforcing rules and lightly harassing the guests.
Supposedly, Quannel X was denied entry when he came to visit the guy. Be nice if Royal Oaks would say something.
Ooh, “lightly harassing” sounds divine – not swedish, certainly not shiatsu, yet still a bit molesting…
;-}
Why does the article say “Riff-raff” even though we know nothing of this individual other than his race? So black guy = Riff-raff. Okay, that’s good to know for me as a young black professional.
In years past, as a PR professional, I have met with News reporters at huge homes in Royal Oaks to conduct interviews for charities. These were the homes of professional athletes and a number of them were African American. I am hard pressed to believe this accusation. Things would have had to really change.
The riff raff term describes the general conduct of the guests. Per the HOA and neighborhood rules, it is perfectly acceptable to refuse entry to non-owners and disorderly guests. There is a reason you pay for a home and dues in a neighborhood like that.
Lawyers-a-plenty out in Royal Oaks, good luck QX…
my guess is David’s guests probably sport that “Thug Life” fashion. Trying to look all “Gangsta”… if that’s the case I wouldn’t let them in either.
I will have to agree with some of the other commenters here. I think there is a lot more going on than the race of this man’s visitors! They are probably causing a disturbance.
Actually, kjb434 and SonofBabylon, the original headline was only meant ironically. To avoid further misunderstandings, we’ve changed it.
KJB: “There is a reason you pay for a home and dues in a neighborhood like that.” A neighborhood like “what”, exactly?
I have no idea what’s going on with security in Royal Oaks, but I’ve always been fascinated with that neighborhood. I have an aunt that lives there and the walls and gates and cameras and patrols are a way over the top. It’s way out in the boonies where no one wants to go but loaded up with security to keep out people who don’t want to go there. I always wonder why those people are so scared.
Mel, making the same racial assumptions? Read my post. You pay the money to keep riff raff out regardless of race.
Come on, Mel, that’s not a question, it’s an accusation. But the PC answer is… It’s PRIVATE gated neighborhood where people decided they want to live in a specific way in a specific lifestyle and put very stringent deed restrictions to achieve that. If you can’t or don’t want to conform to those standards, DO NOT LIVE THERE, you DO have a choice.
–
PS any neighborhood that keeps QX out is good in my book.
What accusation? What racial assumptions? KJB said “There is a reason you pay for a home and dues in a neighborhood like that.†I am curious to know what “that” is. The defensiveness speaks volumes.
And I said who you would want to keep out. The same reason you keep a lock on a door, it’s just a larger situation. Also, you need to remember that the streets of this neighborhood, although platted, are still private with not one penny of Houston taxes paying for or maintaining them. Also, they pay the city of Houston for water and sewer service since they are a MUD. A before anyone claiming this is rich persons option, there are in-city MUD’s in northeast and southeast Houston that are low income homes, but these have public streets maintain by Houston taxes.
I’m with Rusty.
I found the Royal Oaks security to have way more attitude, and the entrance clearance procedure to be way more complicated than many international borders I have crossed. And why?
What are those people so scared of?
The environs, while not particualrly fashionable, certainly do not seem to be dangerous.
We refer to Royal Oaks as “Disney World”, and the place does have a curious past.
Last few years some gate security folk have taken to inquiring about what business I have with the home owner(this after taking my DL info), to which I always reply it’s none of their business, ask Mr. Home Owner and he can tell you if he chooses.
They also issue “private” Royal Oaks traffic citations if you mess up on their streets…
As a resident of Royal Oaks, it is amusing to read the comments here. There are plenty of gated communities in Houston and I question why Royal Oaks is all that different. First off, I have African American guests that have made it through the gates with no issue, in my opinion this is an isolated incident. I have also had plenty of Caucasian guests NOT make it through the gates (hence complaints from residents like me that in turn potentially result in more procedure); yet I have not called irresponsible journalists to make my point. At the end of the day, I am not willing to pay more than I already do for ‘perfection’ and like that they error on the conservative side no matter how annoyed I get. I will also say that it is sad that we need security in this day and age, but it is reality. If you have every been the victim of theft, you probably wouldn’t question going to ‘extremes’ to protect your family and home. Some would criticize those of you who commute hours a day for your quality of life, safety, etc…these are just the choices we have to make in Houston.
RORresident (not to be confused with Landed Gent, who is the original RO resident), who is trying to infiltrate your walls to get to your treasures? And, what do you guys having going on in there that needs so much protection? Gated communities make me laugh. It isn’t the “safety” these six feet walls provide that people crave. It is the “exclusivity” that pushes people into communities like “Royal” Oaks. Anyway, it seems like plenty of rich folks have somehow managed to live comfortable lives out in the ungated/unprivate River Oaks, the less noble and imperial of the River communities.
I love visiting out here in the ‘country’ but the virgin mobil internet connection is soooo slow, I’m just going to ask the question here rather than try to search online for myself:
Where is Royal Oaks? Be specific, don’t hold back. I need street boundaries!
I’ve lived in Houston for more years than many here have been alive and sad to say, I’m ignorant of it’s location.
Royal Oaks is where Andrau Airpark used to be out on Richmond West of Wilcrest.
Not River communities, Oaks communities. Dang!
If I have to show ID to come visit you, I don’t come visit you. A rule I developed after a little “confrontation” with a security guard in Sweetwater after he refused to call the people I was visiting and tell them I was at the gate unless I showed him an ID. The people I was visiting then made the mistake of informing me that they had no problem with it. After all, they pointed out, how did they know it was me?
I guess you can call it Sweetwater Syndrome. Which spread the way Southampton Syndrome did.
Royal Oaks is sooooooooo over rated.. You can gain entrance to the subdivision by going in through the unguarded side/back entrances.If “security” is a ctually monitoring the cameras they may s end a patrol to find you. Otherwise, “security” is a a joke ! A resident last year reported that a man approached him asking for change. No one in that neighborhood needs change. The “security ” patrol supposedly was stepped up. And the neighborboods surrounding RO are middle to lower class .RO (yes the initials were meant to imply River Oaks ) is an island of nouveau riche ,pretentious wanna be’s.Royal Oaks is a suburban wanna be. Will NEVER become what it aspired to be.
hat may be true, but there is no denying that the houses are expensive. For the same amount of money, though, I’d rather live in town.