Protesters: Pittsburgh bar has dress code that discriminates against Black people
More than 100 protesters gathered outside a Downtown Pittsburgh bar Wednesday, protesting a dress code they say discriminates against Black individuals and Black members of the LGBTQ+ community.
An incident happened over the weekend at 941 Saloon on Liberty Avenue, that sparked the protest, according to Devar Ferguson, a leader and activist in the Black LGBTQ+ community.
Ferguson said two other community leaders were turned away from the 941 Saloon because they were wearing jeans, baseball caps and sunglasses.
“As you look over them, there are people inside the bar with baseball caps and jeans on,” Ferguson said. “It was clearly a Black issue because the people inside were of other ethnic descent.”
Among the items on the lengthy dress code:
- No tank tops, cutoffs or sleeveless shirts
- No hoodies
- No athletic jerseys without collars
- All pants must be worn at the waist
- No low-hanging pants or exposed underwear
- No bandanas worn on the head
- No bare midriffs
The bar is listed among the gay bars on the LGBTQ portion of Visit Pittsburgh’s website, and it’s been known as a gay bar throughout the community for years.
“Apparently it’s a gay bar for a certain group of people and not for everybody,” Ferguson said.
Management at 941 Saloon could not immediately be reached.
Dalen Michael was one of the two who were turned away from the bar, according to a statement from True T Pittsburgh, one of the groups that helped organize the demonstration. He described his experience Saturday night in the statement.
“Immediately when entering, we were told that we had to remove our hats and sunglasses,” he wrote. “We sat down and ordered a round of drinks and began to talk about the work we are doing. The bartender later notified us of the new dress code and that we were not following it.”
The protest blocked the intersection of Liberty and Smithfield Street for nearly three hours, and activists shared stories and called on white and heterosexual allies to stand with them.
“We’re going to make some noise,” Ferguson said. “We stand together to make noise. This is about change. It’s about people being united.”
Chants of “if we can’t drink, no one drinks,” and “Black Trans lives matter here” continued as the group formed a semi-circle in the intersection and around the entrance to the bar.
Early in the protest, a security guard from inside the bar came outside to address protesters, who offered to pay his daily rate if he would join them. It was the only heated exchange with anyone associated with the bar, though an employee who was escorted out later received loud “boos” from the crowd.
Kenneth McDowell said he was with Michael when they were turned away, and said they were asked to take their sunglasses off and then informed of the dress policy, which McDowell asked to see.
“I said, ‘This targets people of color; this is a racist policy,’” McDowell said. “I was told I couldn’t use that term in this establishment — I was told I couldn’t use the term ‘racism’ in the establishment.”
Protesters at one point tried to go into the bar, but employees locked the doors. The crowd moved to the alley behind the bar before dispersing about 6:30 p.m. They left the dozens of signs they’d made taped to the doors of the bar. After they dispersed, Pittsburgh police with helmets and shields moved in to form a line outside the doors.
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