If You're Black it Costs More $$$
I found this article very interesting in that it showed tangible proof of racism today in bars in New Orleans. It wasn't particularly enlightening though. Even in a liberal state like Maryland and in a city that's predominantly black like Baltimore, I still encounter latent racism (and in some cases blatant racism), even (and sometimes especially) in the gay community, which is just a crock of hypocritical shit in my humble opinion. Then again you have some black people who are homophobes. It's just small mindedness and fear. Discrimination and "hatisms" are still very much alive, just not as openly obvious as it used to be. Here's the article:
New Orleans - If you're black and belly up to a bar on Bourbon Street, be forewarned: You run a 50-50 chance of either being charged more or being forced to order a minimum number of drinks.
Those are the findings of a study done for the city in the wake of the death of a black college student who died in a scuffle with white bouncers outside a bar on the famous French Quarter thoroughfare.
The study, conducted by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, paired black and white men of similar body type, dress and manner, and sent them into bars within minutes of each other.
Of the 28 bars visited, 40 percent charged the black customers more for drinks. A white man, for example, bought a Long Island iced tea for $7.50, while the black man was charged $9, according to James Perry, executive director of the private, nonprofit housing center.
Ten percent of the bars informed the blacks — but not the whites — that there was a drink minimum, and 7 percent told their black customers that they would have to meet a dress code.
The report recommended the city take several steps, including investigating discrimination at bars and enforcing civil rights laws through litigation.
"This is 2005, not 1964, and this will not be tolerated," said Larry Bagneris, executive director of the New Orleans Human Relations Commission.
I think the incident 4 me that will always stick out in my mind is when I walked into a convenience store and was looking in the candy aisle trying to decide what I wanted, when the old lady that worked there threatened to call the police if I didn't leave immediately. That was in TX. And believe me that's just the tip of the iceberg for some of the crazy shit that goes on down there, so that lil New Orlean's stuff is no surprise at all! I sometimes wonder what my life would be like today had there been no civil rights movement and no Martin Luther King. Would I have the friends I have, live where I'm living, would I have gone to college where I did, would I even be alive? And what would happen if I put out music as an out and proud black gay man? It's amazing the difference that just one person can make, isn't it?
" Race ... in a space that I mark 'human'. Race, face the music, we're all bones when we're dead." - Prince, Race.
New Orleans - If you're black and belly up to a bar on Bourbon Street, be forewarned: You run a 50-50 chance of either being charged more or being forced to order a minimum number of drinks.
Those are the findings of a study done for the city in the wake of the death of a black college student who died in a scuffle with white bouncers outside a bar on the famous French Quarter thoroughfare.
The study, conducted by the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, paired black and white men of similar body type, dress and manner, and sent them into bars within minutes of each other.
Of the 28 bars visited, 40 percent charged the black customers more for drinks. A white man, for example, bought a Long Island iced tea for $7.50, while the black man was charged $9, according to James Perry, executive director of the private, nonprofit housing center.
Ten percent of the bars informed the blacks — but not the whites — that there was a drink minimum, and 7 percent told their black customers that they would have to meet a dress code.
The report recommended the city take several steps, including investigating discrimination at bars and enforcing civil rights laws through litigation.
"This is 2005, not 1964, and this will not be tolerated," said Larry Bagneris, executive director of the New Orleans Human Relations Commission.
I think the incident 4 me that will always stick out in my mind is when I walked into a convenience store and was looking in the candy aisle trying to decide what I wanted, when the old lady that worked there threatened to call the police if I didn't leave immediately. That was in TX. And believe me that's just the tip of the iceberg for some of the crazy shit that goes on down there, so that lil New Orlean's stuff is no surprise at all! I sometimes wonder what my life would be like today had there been no civil rights movement and no Martin Luther King. Would I have the friends I have, live where I'm living, would I have gone to college where I did, would I even be alive? And what would happen if I put out music as an out and proud black gay man? It's amazing the difference that just one person can make, isn't it?
" Race ... in a space that I mark 'human'. Race, face the music, we're all bones when we're dead." - Prince, Race.
posted by Saturn at
8:51 AM
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