Activists Protest Closure of Black Castro Bar

“There’s now no place in the city of San Francisco that gay African-Americans can call their own,” lamented Paul Mooney of And Castro for All (AC4A), a project of the LGBT Center. On Thursday, AC4A called a press conference in front of Pendulum, followed by a picket in front of SF Badlands, to protest the closure and demand government follow-up on the charges levied against Natali.

“Mr. Natali has said that he wants to work with the African-American community,” said Mooney, “but we look at his actions more than his words, and his actions say that he’s not interested in the concerns of African-Americans in the Castro.”

According to representatives from And Castro for All, Natali announced to Pendulum staff Wednesday night that the bar would be closed several months for renovations, and subsequently laid off all staff. Whether employees will receive unemployment benefits is uncertain, as is the possibility of reclaiming their jobs when Pendulum re-opens. Many protestors questioned the timing of Natali’s renovation, given that Natali announced last week that he was selling the bar to a new owner.

“It’s like a landlord selling a building and saying, now I’m going to evict all the tenants because I’m renovating the building,” mused Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a longtime radical queer activist. “Something doesn’t seem right.”

Others doubted whether renovation necessitated closing the bar. “There’s no reason for him to close that bar for renovations,” argued Calvin Gipson, former president of San Francisco’s annual Pride celebration. “Other bars in the Castro have remained open during renovations – the Mix, for example.” At the very least, contends Gipsnon, “there’s absolutely no logical reason for him to close that bar without meeting with his black patrons.”

There is little love lost between activists and Natali, who has been the target of several investigations for racist practices in admission and hiring. Last year, complainants brought their case against SF Badlands to the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, which conducted a ten-month investigation and found in favor of many of their claims, including selective application of dress codes and an illegal door policy requiring multiple IDs. Marvin Miller, one of the original claimants against SF Badlands, recounts being asked for three pieces of ID upon re-entering the club, to which he’d already been admitted.

Read More