INDIANAPOLIS -- Dance hall owners in Indianapolis are upset by what they describe as racially biased city code enforcement.

Owners said they believe licenses and permits are denied and citations are given to keep clubs that cater to blacks out of business.

Owners contend they are being harassed and hounded and that they are just trying to make a living, 6News' Derrik Thomas reported.

"I think they are targeting the black under-21 clubs. I'm not black, but my clientele was black, so they targeted it," said Rick Cook. "They didn't want it."

Cook used to run Balooga's, a club in the 7400 block of West 10th Street. When he was cited, Cook paid a fine and got out of the business because he felt it wasn't worth the hassle.

DJ World, also known as Clifton McCary, said a city worker raided a party where he was working, using a racial epithet in the process.

"She said, 'Stop the party,' … and when I came up, she was like, 'You porch monkeys are in here dancing,'" McCary said.

Laura Gibbons, spokeswoman for code enforcement, said the person accused of making that comment was a civilian employee of Indianapolis police and has since retired. Gibbons denied that race plays any role in who gets approved.

"We treat dance halls like any other business that applies. If they can prove that they can operate responsibly and abide by rules and regulations, they'll likely be approved," Gibbons said. "We want to ensure we're protecting the security of citizens."

Kevin Abney said code enforcement cited him for failing to have a dance hall permit when he threw a private party at a building on East Washington Street that he said was not advertised and didn't charge for admission. He has a court date on May 26.

"I feel like Kevin Bacon in 'Footloose.' This is ridiculous,'" Abney said. "They think we're not going to fight. You know what, we're not dumb, and we're not going to put up with this."

Abney and others said they contacted the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana for assistance.