Oakland bars acting up after 2 AM and not closing down? Yep.
Here we go again, sadly, at Room 389 on Grand Avenue. Another Oakland bar where the owners and managers abuse the safety of other patrons just to harbor their friends for late night drinks and whatever after 2 AM. I’ve blogged about this before, and sense the ahem, ah,”security” guy dared me to blog about tonight’s matter, I took him up on it.
He could have avoided it.
The problem overall is that Room 389, in Oakland on Grand Avenue between Staten and Perkins, and with the address “Rooom 389 Grand Avenue” has a habit of letting its friends stay until after 2 PM, rather than asking everyone to leave. Moreover, the bar has a habit of favoring white patrons, as the owners are white. They hire African Americans, but the folks they bring in toe the line, else they lose their job.
In this case, Friday night, they allowed four white patrons to stay, while the bar “security” person was bullying me to leave. On top of that, I had a reason to ask that the other patrons leave before me, since one of them I regard as nutty, had an issue with me that’s so stupid it reveals the nuttiness of the person, and came in AFTER I arrived by 20 minutes. In fact, this is someone such that I do not walk in to a local bar if they are there. Period. And I told the security about this, too.
But the black security guy they hired had to play to whatever was going on, and then come to me and bully me into leaving. The other patrons weren’t even moving at all – he said he was “going to ask them” but they were “under someone else’s control.” Then, he tried to say “You’re intoxicated.” The way things were going, he was acting like the one who was “intoxicated,” not me. I was concerned for me – but when he started with the bullying and crap, that is when I left.
When You Close, You Close
The last time I had that problem, it was 2000, and at a “Bar On Grand In Oakland I Will Not Name Because They’ve Gotten Better,” and a manager there basically pushed me out with his hand, but allowed about 7 people to stay – all white. I called the police and it turned out they were having some after hours drug consumption party.
Hey. That’s against the law.
The same climate and actions were apparent Friday night – it’s not just that, but that I was treated like some second-class person who’s concerns were not met. That’ wrong. Period.
If the bar closes at 2 AM, then that’s for everyone – not just a few people.
Oh, and the security guy invited me to blog about this, even though he would not give me his name.
Here you go!
Needless to say, I’m not going back there. This is no reflection on the bartender as much as it is management. I’ll either establish my own place or go to places where I know the owners – which are many – or both.