The owners of Elvis Presley's Graceland have said the tourist attraction has a "world-wide reputation for inclusion" in response to a lawsuit filed by five people who claim they were discriminated against at a protest by a coalition associated with the Black Lives Matter movement during the annual vigil commemorating Presley's death.
In a statement, Elvis Presley Enterprises says Graceland has welcomed more than 20 million visitors in the past 34 years from "nearly every country on earth, and they have all been welcomed without incident." The statement says Graceland is proud of its reputation for inclusion and hospitality.
Elvis Presley Enterprises and the city of Memphis are named in a complaint filed in federal court Wednesday. The statement does not directly address the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims several people were denied entry to the vigil by Memphis police because they are black. It says others were asked to leave a public sidewalk after saying, "Black lives matter."
