A new Brooklyn bar and lounge called Club Freeze is hiring bartenders and servers, but the owner is only accepting applications from whites and those from a "Spanish background." Here's an excerpt from Club Freeze's seemingly contradictory Craigslist ad, which explains: "DUE TO WANTING A DIVERSE STAFF TO COMPLIMENT A DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD, ONLY SEEKING AT THIS MOMENT CAUCASIAN OR SPANISH BACKGROUND EMPLOYEES." After all, what could be more diverse than rejecting all but two ethnic groups?

Kay Brown, the owner of the Marine Park lounge, explains that she simply has too many black employees already. "We have a lot of black employees, but the neighborhood has a little bit of everyone—Spanish, Italian, white people—so I wanted to add different people onto the staff that could help bring other races of people into the business," Brown says, adding, "we are looking for different ethnic groups for a diverse staff."

The ad was removed today immediately following our phone call.

Brown, who is black, says she's already hired three black employees, and another three or four positions remain to be filled. But these jobs will only go to white or "Spanish background" workers. Brown says, "Only African-Americans were applying, so we figured putting an ad on Craigslist would be more broad, to bring in the other ethnic groups we want to bring on board. It's nothing personal. I would just like different ethnic groups to join the staff."

Pressed further about the questionable legality of her Craigslist ad, Brown snapped, "I don't think it's appropriate for you to ask me all these questions about my ad. This is my ad, it's my Craigslist, and I should be able to write what I want on my Craigslist. This is what I'm seeking at the moment. It's not trying to be offensive to anyone. There are plenty of ads. If you don't like what I am looking for, you could have gone to another ad and applied there."

Regardless of Brown's intentions or the demographics of her current staff, it is illegal to deny employment to anyone based on race. Asked about the Club Freeze ad, NYC Human Rights Commissioner Patricia L. Gatling issued a statement saying, "It is illegal under the NYC Human Rights Law to express a preference for one protected class over another when posting an ad."

And Councilmember Alan Maisel, who represents the district in which the Flatbush Avenue club is poised to open in a few weeks, said he would look into it. "Obviously they should not be doing that and any discrimination in this day and age is outrageous," Maisel said in a statement.

Last year, the Bay Ridge club Longbow was fined $5,000 by the city's Commission on Human Rights for posting a Craigslist ad bluntly stating that “Being British definitely works in your favor."