Truth and Justice Barred from Castro Bar. Meet on the Street!

Op Ed submitted by Paul Mooney, And Castro for All


Discriminating against employees and patrons was bad enough, per the San Francisco Human Rights Commissions finding last month, reviewed and approved by the City Attorney. But now, the owner of SF Badlands, Les Natali, is going after everyone involved in the investigation in order to shift attention away from his gross violations of African Americans' civil rights over the past many years. Strip away the personal attacks, the legal threats, and the slick PR, though, and what's left is an overwhelming body of evidence that Natali violated City and State civil rights laws.

Obviously, Natali is hoping that if enough people swallow the red herrings he's feeding patrons and the press, they'll ignore the substance of the City's findings against him. There's no doubt Natali and his team of slick PR consultants, sketchy political backroom dealers, and high-priced lawyers from four different law firms will continue to place hit pieces in the media and claim this is all just a big misunderstanding. But when people actually engage on the facts of the matter, there's also no doubt that they will conclude that Natali should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law for knowingly and wantonly violating the civil rights of members of our community.

So, here are the facts. After Natali received several initial complaints and refused to provide dates for mediation, the City conducted an extensive investigation into Natali's business practices. Based on much evidence, the City found that he discriminated against African Americans. Evidence included photos, written documents, and sworn testimony from twenty complainants and witnesses, plus supporting statements from ten additional witnesses. Natali also provided twenty-nine of his own witnesses, none of whom signed their statements (including Natali himself, whose credibility was made more dubious by contradictory statements he made to investigators).

Here are the facts. The HRC report concluded that Natali discriminated against African Americans when he required them to provide multiple forms of valid ID. The evidence: photos of illegal signs declaring Natali's multiple ID policy, posted at Badlands and the Detour, plus sworn testimony from African Americans who were excluded from the bar by this unlawful policy, plus testimony from employees that they were encouraged to use the illegal policy as a ploy to bar African Americans.

Here are the facts. The HRC's staff of civil rights experts concluded that Natali unfairly denied entry to African American individuals through the use of a "No Bag" policy that was employed selectively to bar entry to African American patrons. The evidence: sworn testimony from witnesses to the event, as well as a letter written to Natali in the Fall of 2003 by two Stop AIDS Project outreach workers who witnessed discrimination -- long before the recent spate of complaints against Natali were made public.

Here are the facts. The HRC report concluded that Natali discriminated against an African American woman when she was ejected from the bar under false and unjustified pretenses. The evidence: sworn testimony from the complainant, plus statements from multiple witnesses to the event. SFPD officers were called to the scene. After speaking with witnesses, one of the responding officers rebuked Natali, telling him, 'You should be utterly ashamed.'" It is notable that many of the complainants name Natali as the person who barred them admission to the bar, evicted them from the premises, and otherwise engaged in discrimination. This isn't simply a misunderstanding, or a staff training problem. This is a Les Natali problem.

There are many, many more facts that all point to the same conclusion: Natali has violated the civil rights of the members of our community over many years and in a variety of ways, failing to address complaints raised by patrons, community leaders, and elected officials. Now he refuses to assume any responsibility for his actions. Instead, he's attacking his victims, his critics, and the Human Rights Commission itself.

In light of Natali's criminal behavior, and subsequent campaign of character assassination, it's especially incumbent upon City and State agencies to hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Likewise, it's incumbent that such heinous behavior draw a sharp response from our community, which is why so many fair-minded individuals and groups from across the San Francisco spectrum are joining together to boycott Badlands. Among them: the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, And Castro For All, ANSWER, Black Rap, Community United Against Violence, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action, LYRIC, Men of All Colors Together, Mission Agenda, NIA, Pride at Work, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, SEIU Local 790, the San Francisco Labor Council, the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, the San Francisco People's Organization, SF LGBT Pride Celebration Committee, and the San Francisco Young Democrats, and the Stop AIDS Project.

Natali can try to deny equal access, and try to deny the truth, but he won't be able to deny justice as we continue stand together and say: Not in OUR City.