Calgary & Racism

[Aggie]

.... continuing on from a Snark thread in Omnia.  Just a couple of items sent via the Albertans for Racial Equality mailing list.

Now, I realize what's happening here is relatively minor compared to what happens in some other places, but that doesn't make it any less a steaming pile of :

The news clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plQpLPy1eao

The email:
"Before Stampede started, a few friends and I went to get jobs at the MYNT for the ten days as doorstaff. Ironically, I work in human resources for an oil company but I didn't think being hired as the "token" black guy was that big a deal, until the MANAGER/OWNER of the club sat down and asked if we would have a problem with their policies. After you read them maybe all of you young urban professionals can see why maybe I figured I didn't need the money that bad.

"We don't want black, asain, east indian men in the club. You can say it's a private party, you can say 25 yrs and up only, depending on what they look like. If they want to pay an extra $20 per guy make a judgement call because we don't want to many ethnics with too much money drawing girls away from our white male patrons basically. I know you seen how some asians tie up the bar buying like 80 shots at a time. Maybe 10 or 15 max every hour but no more. You have to stick with that ok"
 
"Okay", I said.
 
"Try and pick out the Lebs too if you can"(Lebanese for those of you without the kkk handbook) "You dont have a problem with that?"
 
"No problem"
 
"Great! Now with girls, do your best to not let in too many black and east indian girls. I mean, you can't turn them all away, but our ratio we would like to keep is 2/3 out of every 10 max. It may get testy at the line with chicks. Don't get me wrong, if they're really hot, let them in man! But let's try and make sure in a group that the majority are white and asian woman. ( Remember, its a "known" fact that white men like white and asian girls the best, took me a bit to figure this out) If it's 5/6 girls and they don't have at least 3 or 4 white girls with them, stall them
at the line and say the wait will be 30 min. Most girls will go somewhere else".

"Okay. Will I be at the front the whole time?"
 
"No, you don't really have enough experience. But at certain times we'll definitely bring you up. We can get slammed pretty quick"(Again, as I come to understand, when the line fills up with to many people of color, the  "token" bouncer of whatever race will be seen. Great way to take the edge off any possible race argument, right?

"Cool. When can I start?"
 
"Just call me after the weekend and I should have a tentative schedule for you and we'll take it from there"
 
There you have it. That's the conversation that took place at my interview.

But before you guys all burn MYNT at the stake, realize this is a common practice at 90% of the nightspots we all frequent. Cowboys, Tantra, Coyotes, Whiskey, Tequila is really bad for it too. You see, it happens to people once in a while and its like a layer of skin that develops from when we were 18 as just something that just IS. I find it funny  that clubs adopt these policies, aren't always owned by white people.
 
Whiskey isn't. An asian man owns it. They limit blacks and asians there.
 
Tequila is owned by some greek guys and a former white hip hop dj who has numerous black and asian friends. But if your group shows up there and is a little too dark, or your eyes slant a little too much, you  know what happens. Funny, huh?
   
Find other spots in town my friends. Find other stuff to go do. The reason this bugs us now is because now as adults, we know right from wrong, and we know respect is something we have all earned. I just think that rather than let this salt you to having fun in this town, you take these  people for what they are, two-faced and racist. And if someone can find a  club where I, as a black man with an asian wife, an east indian best friend and who likes Lebanese food can go hang?

Please get the word out to everyone."

[anthrobabe]

Thanks for sharing this with us

when hate is exposed to sunlight it usually withers and dies-- sometimes it needs some help though and that is where people who give a damn come in-- I give a damn and I won't be quiet

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

"We don't want black, asain, east indian men in the club. You can say it's a private party, you can say 25 yrs and up only, depending on what they look like. If they want to pay an extra $20 per guy make a judgement call because we don't want to many ethnics with too much money drawing girls away from our white male patrons basically. I know you seen how some asians tie up the bar buying like 80 shots at a time. Maybe 10 or 15 max every hour but no more. You have to stick with that ok"

That's just insane.  Their racism must be pretty important to them if they think turning away customers who buy 80 shots at a time is worth it.

I'm trying to remember if I've been to any of those places.  I've only ever been to two night-spottish bars in Calgary (though for lunch, not for clubbing), and "Whiskey" sounds really familiar.  Hmm.

Makes me wonder if that sort of thing happens around here.  When I was more into the club scene (which was some time ago), everyone waited in the same long line except for "VIPs"... but the only criteria for being a "VIP" was that you got handed a free card on a street corner.  I wonder if they decide who to give those cards to by race.  Hmm.

[Al Dante]

Isn't that a shame! Don't you hate it when that happens? All you want to do is go to a nice club where only attractive people are allowed in, because you need a break from being in the presence of ugly people all the time -- but they don't let you in just because of your race!

My heart bleeds.

- Allenbatrachus

[Aggie]

In Calgary, ugly ain't got nothing to do with it.  It's rare to get turned away (as a white male) unless you're flagrantly breaking 'dress code' (light coloured sneakers will do this, or 'skater'-type clothing (hoodies)), or occasionally when they pull the 'over-25' age limit, which is generally on the busier nights.  Age is never a factor for girls* unless the liquor board is about.

If these were the types of 'exclusive' clubs that arbitrarily allowed only certain people in on the bouncer's discretion, it'd be harder to single out this type of discrimination, but that's NOT the case, particularily in Calgary.  It's a rarer situation in Canada than in the States, I think. 

Why I'm so steamed on this is that I saw it happen with a group of friends and friends-of-friends...  the whites of both gender made it in, as did the two asian females, but not the (east) Indian male.  I left (after attempts to get him in the back entrance failed)....  everyone else stayed.  I'm not a fan of the club in general, but get dragged along on certain occasions.

The bouncers alleged HE called THEM 'racists', pretty much immediately.  Not true, though he did expect to be refused entry on past experience.


*17 year olds don't deserve the title 'women' when they're out drinking.

[Sibling Chatty]

Man, I have been hanging out in blues bars longer than I thought...

Just the idea of having a door policy like that would get you shut down in the 'racist' South where I live. About 10 years ago, when my brother was playing some sit-in gigs with a VERY 'in' band, at one of the 'there's a line and a door guy' places...my fat, over 40, walkin' with a cane, hair in a bun, no make-up wearin' old lady self was allowed in with no problem, along with a "pack" of mixed race folks from 19-25. (3 black guys, one black girl, a blue-eyed blonde white chick, 2 Korean exchange students that could only talk to us through their interpreters Neela and Dipti (Asian, specifically East Indian), and 2 other exchange students, Hassan and Hassan, AKA the Hassan Brothers, who had known each other for 15 minutes. Oh, and 2 hulking white-guy football player types, one with a gimme cap that actually did say Caterpillar Tractors on the front. And this was in Houston's VERY trendy area, with the VERY trendy clientele. And a dress code that they relaxed to allow some people in with their 'native dress' since it was very pretty. Only the gimme cap had to go. No hats.

Of course, everybody had a much better time at the blues bar, listening to yer typical Texas blues and roadhouse type music, but...the first place let us in, no problems, no matter what their 'image' was supposed to be. Then again, the hip-hop/rap scene here precludes excluding people because of race. When you turn away members of the Geto Boys, or South Park Mexican--who can BUY your little club several times over--it's bad business.

The only 'racism' i've really run into here is based more on safety issues. Going to one of the VietNamese discos without an Asian or two in your group can be unhealthy, or to a Hispanic club on futbol on the sattelite night and cheering for England...but i've been the token white chick in bars in the 'deepest' part of "the ghetto" in Houston and never had a bit of trouble. As to mixed groups of friends, together?? That just doesn't happen. In Dallas, yeah, but not in Houston. Or Austin. Or San Antonio. And sure as heck not in Somerville or Brenham.

I'd suggest talking to the owners. Ask them to PROMOTE an equality policy instead of aiding and reinforcing racism. Or find a group of backers and open a better, more open place, and advertise it as a better moral choice. (Oh, honey, based on the goals of those policies, there's a whole ad campaign based on not allowing the only 'morals' you bother with to be the 'lack of' ones that make ya wanna hang out with a crowd specifically chosen to promote what they consider 'appropriate' hook-ups.)

Considered picket signs? "Owner is racist and sexist" "Let US decide who our friends are" "No more racist clubs!"

Rent a hall and have a BYOB 'party' (I don't know the laws about alcohol there, but here a beer and wine license for a party is generally part of the hall's thing, and you can sell 'set-ups' for the hard liquor) with an admission  price, and make it a benefit for samething. (A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Something-or-other...) If ya do it, lemme know. I have an on-line friend that works at a mental-health/MR place that can always use funding...

Don't just get mad, hurt them in their pocketbooks. That's the only way some people learn.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Rent a hall and have a BYOB 'party' (I don't know the laws about alcohol there, but here a beer and wine license for a party is generally part of the hall's thing, and you can sell 'set-ups' for the hard liquor) with an admission  price, and make it a benefit for samething. (A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Something-or-other...) If ya do it, lemme know. I have an on-line friend that works at a mental-health/MR place that can always use funding...

Not sure about Alberta, but in Ontario the person putting on the party usually gets the "Special Occasion Permit", and a BYOB party at a rented hall probably wouldn't fly legally.

OTOH, a "good music and beer/shots/mixed drinks that aren't crazy expensive" party would probably work really well (and make more money for the organizers or their charity).

[Vita Curator]

This racial profiling is absolutely disgusting Aggie, it makes me sick to my stomach.  Are these nightclubs considered public or are any of them private?  Although I don't know much about it, if they were considered "open to the public" couldn't the people that were denied admission have some kind of legal recourse?

Has anyone pursued this through the legal system?

This reminds me of the stories out of NYC several years ago re: racial profiling and taxi drivers refusing to pick up African-American and Hispanic-American passengers,  It didn't receive nationwide attention though until Actor Danny Glover fell victim to the cab drivers discrimination.

[ivor]

I'm glad I'm not white.  What a bunch of....   Ahhhh!!!  I am white!!!  Somebody help me!!!   

Seriously that is messed up. 

MB

[Aggie]

And ye wonder why me theme song is "Don't Call Me White" by NOFX? 

NOFX

[Al Dante]

In Calgary, ugly ain't got nothing to do with it.  It's rare to get turned away (as a white male) unless you're flagrantly breaking 'dress code' (light coloured sneakers will do this, or 'skater'-type clothing (hoodies)), or occasionally when they pull the 'over-25' age limit, which is generally on the busier nights.  Age is never a factor for girls* unless the liquor board is about.

In that case, I retract my point. When I think of the "club with the line and the guy at the door" what comes to mind is the ultra-trendy clubs in certain large coastal U.S. cities where attractiveness (or, as allowable substitues, celebrity and/or obvious wealth) is the main requirement. I regard patronizing such places as its own punishment -- whether one gets in the door or not. But clubs that are actually fair about letting all well-behaved appropriately-dressed people in, except for exclusion based on race, are a different matter.

Legal action appears a likely consequence of these reports. Is there a Canadian counterpart to the ACLU?

Best,
Allenbatrachus

[Aggie]

I don't know whether to laugh bitterly or spit about it...  but do click the link to see what the bar that triggered this snark is up to for New Year's Eve....

http://driveit.clickspace.com/linkTo/1163166/1000415