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Officials Investigating Continental Bar's "Racist" Door Policy
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 30, 2011
Modified Jan 30, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 30, 2011
Modified Jan 30, 2011
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Last month, members of the group Answers Coalition protested outside of the Third Avenue bar the Continental, accusing the bar of having a racist door policy. Owner Trigger Smith was defiant in the face of their criticisms of his "unwritten dress code," and there was another demonstration yesterday outside the club. And now, it seems that the City Commission on Human Rights has been investigating the allegations of racial discrimination.
Smith, who is white, told The Local that he would fully cooperate with the investigation, but denies that there is any racial bias in his door policy: “There’s not a prejudiced bone in my body." Nevertheless, he refuses to talk to protesters, said that he would not comply with the coalition’s request that he post a statement opposing discrimination on Continental’s web site, won't host multicultural themed nights at the club, and plans on continuing his unwritten dress code, which prohibits saggy jeans, open-laced sneakers, and "blingy" necklaces or sideways caps. “It just so happens that more minorities wear these," he said. But countless posts on Facebook message group "Boycott Continental Bar in NYC" disagree with Smith's assessment, including one man who says he was denied entry this past Friday: "Just got denied 2 hours ago because me and my friends were black....ridiculous."
Tagged
continental bar
discrimination
dives
door policy
investigation
racism
the continental
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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