Black Patron Files Lawsuit On Racist Bar! Bar Owner Denies Accusations!

Jonathon Wall, 21 has filed lawsuit against a nightclub after staff threw him out. Wall claims that he was harassed by staff members because he was Black. Wall took his fight to the internet and many across the country are outraged at the establishment and came out in support of Wall and many others patrons who were discriminated by the staff. The owner of the bar denies he was harassing the young man.

Earlier this month, I posted the story of a young Harvard bound man named Jonathon Wall and his horrific experience at a Raleigh nightclub. The club adhere to some strict conduct that appears to be discriminatory towards Black patrons and the young man decides to fight back against the establishment.

Besides a boycott, there's a lawsuit against the bar manager/owner Todd Chriscoe. The owner denies he's been discriminatory towards his customers but yet manages to dig the hole deeper the more he speaks publicly about the ordeal.

Many others have came out in support of Wall. Here's a few videos in relation to this controversy. Courtesy of WRAL, a CBS affiliate of Raleigh, North Carolina. The controversy may be disturbing for some who are reading this here at Journal de la Reyna.

 

A few weeks ago, Wall with some of his friends went to the nightclub. They were stopped by a bouncer and was told that they had to have a membership in order to enter the establishment.
 

Todd Chriscoe is the owner of Downtown Sport Bar & Grill. According to WRAL, Chriscoe has a criminal history. The owner of the bar is accused of harassing and assaulting Jonathan Wall. The young man has filed a lawsuit against the business. The young man spawned a citywide boycott of the establishment and took his fight to the internet to publicly shame this individual. Chriscoe denies he's a racist and his bar treats people discriminatory.

 According to Wall, when a police officer was approaching, the bouncer let them into the establishment without incident. But while entering the bar, the manager Chriscoe was constantly harassing him to buy an alcoholic beverage or leave his establishment. Wall stated that his friend was in the restroom and he will buy something as soon as he and his group were ready. Chriscoe infuriated grabbed Wall and shoved him towards the exit. Wall was thrown out of the establishment. After pleading to the bouncer of the situation, another police officer approached Wall. Wall explained his situation to the officer. The officer stated that she didn't want no part of the conflict and told the young man to ignore the problems.

When Wall told his professor about the encounter, the professor wrote on his personal blog about Wall and the Downtown Sports Bar & Grill and people across the Raleigh-Durham region chimed in on the situation.

Other patrons White and Black spoke out against the bar and thus lead it to the news agitators and it went viral.

One woman says that since her boyfriend and his friend were Black, she could enter but her boyfriend could not enter the establishment. She claimed that because of a collared shirt they were denied entry. She saw a group of White men go into the club with collared shirts.

A Black woman was told that she couldn't enter but some of her friends who were White were allowed entry without incident.

According to WRAL, a CBS affiliate out of Raleigh, North Carolina, the criminal summons, issued on June 22, was served Tuesday against Todd Chriscoe, who manages The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill on Glenwood Avenue.

In the paperwork, Jonathan Wall, 21, accuses Chriscoe, 47, of simple assault and ethnic intimidation. Wall says Chriscoe grabbed his wrists, put them behind his neck, forced him out of the bar and pushed him to the ground.

The criminal summons is based on Wall's accusations before a magistrate and not a police investigation. Raleigh police say they are not investigating the matter because Wall declined to file a police report after speaking with a police sergeant who was on foot in the area.

A hearing in Wake County District Court has been set for July 23.

Wall's attorney, Alesia Vick, said at a news conference last week that Chriscoe confronted Wall in the early hours of June 17 and told him he would have to buy a drink or leave.

When Wall explained that he was waiting on a friend, Vick said, Chriscoe put him in a headlock and forced him out of the bar.

She said there were no other black customers in that part of the bar.

William Potter, an attorney for The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill, has said that Wall was not improperly treated and that he was thrown out of the bar because he was not a member.

Potter has insisted that race had nothing to do with the matter.

Still, Wall's story has prompted numerous other people who are black to come forward, saying they were also treated differently at The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill.

A rally being called "Above It All: A Raleigh Stand Against Social Injustice" is being planned for Saturday, although a location and time have not been finalized.

Other patrons have come to the bar's defense, denying that it discriminates. Nightlife photos taken at the bar, including those by LazyDay.com, show diverse crowds inside.

Accusations of discrimination aren't new for Chriscoe.

In 2001, he co-owned a private club called The Office in downtown Raleigh. The club's strict dress code that prohibited styles of clothing popular among black people.

A WRAL News investigation at the time found that a doorman treated a white couple and a black couple wearing the same brand of clothing differently.

Chriscoe said back then that the matter had nothing to do with race but had more to do with creating an upscale environment and ensuring that patrons of the club felt comfortable.