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Black Cop Suing Lucky Strike for Discriminatory Door Policy
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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A twenty-year NYPD veteran is suing the upscale Westside bowling "lounge" Lucky Strike, which he says barred him from entry because of his race. Officer Aubrey Henry claims that when he tried to attend a friend's birthday party on February 27th (post-snowstorm), the bouncers refused to admit him because he was wearing hiking boots. But Henry insists it wasn't the boots, it was his blackness, telling the Daily News, "I thought it was a joke, I couldn't believe it. We're going bowling! You take your shoes off when you go bowling."
Furthermore, while Lucky Strike's dress code prohibits "construction boots," Henry was wearing Nike ACG boots. "They're high-top sneakers!" he tells the News. "It's not even listed on the dress code!" His friend Karen Jemmott futilely pleaded with management to admit Henry, pointing out white patrons with boots similar to Henry's. "They were hitting us with balls of racism and hatred," Jemmott says. "That night, no one cared what we had to say. They were so busy being racist that logic didn't matter."
In a statement, Lucky Strike stood by the decision, insisting the dress code "is applied in a fair, professional and evenhanded manner. We have been in touch with Karen and Aubrey and have extended an offer to have them back as our guests." Instead, Henry is filing a lawsuit today, and his lawyer says, "They used a dress code as a pretext to discriminate against black people." The most appalling part of all this? Jemmott, the birthday girl, paid $600 to reserve a lane for two hours!
Tagged
discrimination
dress code
lawsuit
lucky strike
racist
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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