Two African American attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) were having a night out singing at a local bar in Fresno, California when they were abruptly told to leave.
Abre’ Conner and Novella Coleman were looking forward to a night out together at a bar called “Brig,” but according to their report for the ACLU, their fun was cut short.
“But before our song was called, a bar employee came up and said we had to buy drinks to sing karaoke. Another bartender lunged at us within inches of our faces and shouted, “Buy drinks!
Our group of three had already bought two drinks. But it quickly became clear to us that we were unwelcome in the bar.
A second bartender — a very tall and large man — shouted louder and louder that we were loitering and that the bar wasn’t a hangout place. Over and over again he pushed his body up against Abre’ — who is just 5’4” tall — to force her out of the bar.”
According to the two attorneys, they were the only black customers at the bar.
“We pointed out that the bar staff was only using the rule against us and we seemed to be the only two Black people in the bar.”
Soon afterward, the police arrived and forced the women to leave.
“The bartender and police claimed to be exercising the [business’s] supposed “right” to refuse service. This sounds too much like when the country still had “colored” sections and racially segregated water fountains. But this happened in March 2016.”
You can read the entire ACLU report here.
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