What is this madness?
They can't Chi Chiz? It's a staple of Black Gay Bars in NYC. In fact, it is oldest and probably the one of the few that's left.
Page Six has the scoop:
Gay activists and civil rights lawyers will go to court Thursday to try to stop the NYPD from closing Chi Chiz, a Christopher Street bar that caters to homosexual and transgendered black men.
The police claim in Manhattan Supreme Court that on four instances in a six-month period, undercover officers witnessed the sale of marijuana, cocaine and other controlled substances in the bar, which opened 12 years ago.
But Chi Chiz supporters say the crackdown's motivated by racism and homophobia in a community that's increasingly white, wealthy and worried about property values.
"These are the same people who forced the city to tear down the Women's House of Detention on Sixth Avenue and Christopher Street," activist Allen Roskoff told Page Six.
"Manhattan so-called liberals are only so when it affects others. Otherwise, they cry 'quality of life' and 'not in my neighborhood.' "
Chi Chiz's lawyer, Tom Shanahan, told Page Six the city asked the bar to make an iron-clad guarantee that no drugs would be sold or used on its premises -- but Chi Chiz couldn't promise that.
"We can't guarantee that," Shanahan explained. "I said to the judge, when the city figures out how to keep drugs off Rikers Island, they can hold us to the same standard. The terms they are insisting on would put us out of business. This is what they wanted all along."
2 comments:
I've been to this bar many times. I have never saw overt drug dealing. Like any other bar or club in NYC, it happens on the very down low, therefore, to prevent it from happening would be almost impossible.
What I have seen is a night of the ongoing game card called Spades being played in the back, a pool tournament going on, and men enjoying each others company.
As for the hanging out in front of the bar. Which is one of the things that get to the mostly white neighbors in this area, well, NYC does not allow smoking inside an establishment, so you have to go out and have a smoke.
I would think that one would look at the surrounding area before you rented or bought a place to live. If you had issues, you could have looked elsewhere.
I have strolled up and down Chi Chi's a million times and never had a problem. In fact, there is almost always a squad car out front, and the entrance to the NJ Path train is right next door. The 15 feet stretch of NYC sidewalk, in front of Chi Chi's, is probably the safest place in all of NYC.
I've been here a couple of times and I echo Allan S's comments as well. I am thinking as well it's motivated by homophobia.
I mean the guarantee of no drugs etc? That is ridiculous - that would have to be applied to all bars - not just this bar!
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