A Black father visiting his children in Warrenville, Illinois, has alleged that he and his sons were the only ones asked to show identification at their apartment complex's pool. Leo Sullivan, who was staying at the Arden of Warrenville, captured a confrontation on video that he posted to Facebook, claiming that two women confronted him and demanded to see his ID.
In the video, Sullivan can be heard stating, "I'm the only black man out here, so the nice white people come out here and tell me if I don't show them my ID I have to leave. But no one else has to show their ID." He explained that he was staying in an Airbnb at the complex and had entitlement to use the pool facilities. His younger son, Kingston, became visibly distressed, crying and pleading with his father to show his ID to avoid potential legal trouble.
Sullivan recounted that one of the women initially asked, "What are you doing here? You people can't be here." He stated he showed them his key, indicating his access to the property. The situation intensified when a second woman joined, and police were called. According to Sullivan, the responding officers informed him that he did not need to show his ID to use the pool. However, he later reported that the police were called a second time to his room, with the women alleging he had threatened and harassed them.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump shared Sullivan's video, calling the incident "ridiculous" and highlighting the child's emotional distress. Sullivan indicated he was considering legal action and had retained an attorney, with Crump also reaching out to him.
The Arden Collection, the management company for the complex, has disputed Sullivan's account. In a statement, the company claimed that Sullivan had been informed via a welcome email that he needed to obtain a pool pass from the front desk using identification upon check-in. They asserted that Sullivan "never checked in with the front desk upon his arrival (as he agreed to do), never obtained a pool pass, falsely identified himself as a tenant, and never provided ID when politely asked." The company stated that staff had no way to identify him as a guest, leading to the call to authorities. Security footage shared by Arden reportedly shows Sullivan at the front desk during check-in, where a receptionist handed him a card, though it remains unclear if it was a pool pass.