Overview
- The city, which owns Epic Waters, confirmed late Wednesday the June 1 private rental was canceled after the governor warned the loss of public-safety grants.
- Abbott’s Public Safety Office said early flyers billed the event as “Muslims only” and compared it to a “Whites only” posting at a public pool.
- Organizer Aminah Knight later changed the promotion to say all are welcome with a modest dress code and said last year’s party drew more than 600 people.
- A bipartisan group of nearly four dozen state lawmakers on Thursday urged Abbott to withdraw the threat, calling the tactic coercion against a Muslim community gathering.
- Abbott cited HB 4211 and the city’s grant agreements on civil-rights compliance, sharpening a wider fight over how private, faith-centered rentals at public sites must handle access rules.