Story Archive

Blindsided

The Braille Club has been serving the blind community of West Palm Beach, Fla., since 1935. To help pay for things, the club rents out its facilities, but a recent promoter went too far. She circulated flyers showing bikini-clad babes advertising “Freaky Friday” and “Wild-N-Out Saturday” parties, featuring alcoholic beverages — not the usual sort of event for the club: baby showers are common. “This is our Braille Club and it is making us look really bad,” complained club Vice President Beulah Taylor. When confronted, party promoter Renee Pierre denied alcohol was to be served, even though the flyers showed alcohol bottles and noted “drinks free until 11 p.m.” Taylor said she thought Pierre “was trying to take advantage of us being blind,” but Pierre denies that. “I did not know that Braille had to do with blind people,” she said. “I noticed the owner was blind, but that doesn’t mean everyone who walks in there is blind.” (RC/WPTV West Palm Beach) ...Tip to Pierre: blind doesn’t mean stupid.