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Nightclub Forced to Cancel Event Based on Race Or Was it Just Good Business??


I recieved a message in my inbox yesterday which told me to go and read a friend facebook status. His status stated, "Public Service Announcement: We have been in meetings with SLeek & Lumiere Casino for 3hrs fighting for Friday Night. So until further notice the event will be canceled... We would like to thank everyone for supporting "Soul Stylz" new location to be announced soon...if u have any questions feel free to call 314.497.3861"

there was 37 comments posted to this status and the more i read the more angry i became... here are some of the comments;

Cornell: at 3:43pm May 27
Yeah the Casino seem to think to many black faces are a bad look for the location

Comella: at 3:44pm May 27
R u serious Is that what they really said

Shaedi: at 3:45pm May 27 via Facebook Mobile
in their world,they're ABSOLUTELY right*

Jess; at 3:49pm May 27
New Casino, only fun downtown attraction...walk in ALL black people walkin around-scares off their crowd??? hmmm seems like they kinda got a point. BUT! I HAVENT HAD THAT MUCH FUN IN A WHILE LIKE I DID LAST FRIDAY! But 3 hour meeting...geesh!

Cornell: at 4:05pm May 27
yeah 3hrs, all about white and black events that are hosted in the casino.

I posted my facebook status and told everyone to go and ready cornells status and at 245am people were still posting comments

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29 comments:

Joesph said...

Hey...i was arrested for working security at the party just bcuz I left my Security License in my truck. Then they wanted me to snitch on the club owner, my security staff, and Cornell. They don't want the event down there. Let's not talk about the Uncle Toms that are the security staff at Lumiere. That's gets NO SUPPORT over here...

Brilliance said...

were you at Sleek that night Ted? The crowd was beyond rowdy. Ppl were dancing and standing on tables and being profane. I saw more than a few chicks get in an argument, "someone stepped on my shoe", or "you sleeping with my cousin boyfriend" The men were no better. It was a hot ghetto MESS!!! Overall, nothing about the crowd was grown & sexy. ... Read MoreMaybe that's how those ppl party at Society or Lush, but I thought it was a bit much for Lumiere. I was grabbed, groped, and cursed out (more than a few times). There were random blk ppl just hanging out the casino being loud & unruly b/c Sleek was filled to capacity. oh Lord, I could go on about this, but I complained enough that night about the event (via my statuses). Bottom line is: you cant be black in a white establishment and act a damn fool. Know your place and stay in it. I cant stand when blacks pull the racist card becuz they get shut down Well if you weren't acting like NIGGAS, maybe we wouldn't get kicked out of places. UGH!!!!

www.bfreepaparazzi.com said...

I came at 130am and it was a ghost town. I heard the stories of what went down and remembered thinking, we gonna get shut down if we have too many more incidents.

One thing that struck a cord with me was if it was another race of people would the out come b the same? I happen to be blessed with a very diverse circle of friends which affords me ... Read Morethe experience of kicking it in some very differnt spots, I've seen incidents of a similar nature but to this day these spots are alive and thriving.

I'm straddling the fence on this one! I want us to act right but I also want the rules to reflect an even playing field.

Brilliance said...

I agree Ted, the playing field is not even. The problem is STL doesn't realize the amount of money black nightlife pumps into the city. The reason cities like LA, NYC, ATL are hot spots is because of the nightlife.

Like you, I knew it was going to get shut down after the fight...and that revelation further ticked me off because I actually enjoyed... Read More Beautiful at Sleek. The valet was rude, the security was rude, the crowd was rowdy, just a bad combo. Hopefully this incident doesn't reflect unfavorably upon the promoter.

I have a tendency to get really embarrassed and frustrated when I see other black ruin it for us...and these white owned establishments, eh....one less place to patronage I suppose.

Tabbster said...

I will say that I was starting to dislike the crowd at Sleek. Yes people may have been clowning but that DOES NOT make this ok. If it had been white people fighting then they would not have been so quick to shut down the event. I dont agree with the "Know your place" statement...what does that mean? What exactly is our place? SoulStylz should not... Read More be punished for the ridiculous conduct of others...fighting and hanging out outside of Sleek...security should have handled that! But on the flip side, we can't just act any kind of way. You can argue both sides of this situation and be right.

www.bfreepaparazzi.com said...

Know your place? Meaning
I think what Brit was saying was, there is a right time and a right place for everything!

We wouldn't go to an interview and act as if we were attending a BBQ

Tabbster said...

In that case, I definitely agree with that. Once again, you can argue this on either side and will have valid points on both ends. I will say this....we are so quick to talk about how St. Louis, America, etc is still racist and will never change...but what the hell are we doing to change it??? We can't act like fools, clown, and disrespect everyone... Read More around us and expect to receive respect!! It doesn't work that way. If we want progress, we have to show progress...stop pointing the finger. That doesn't mean that Lumiere was right for shutting it down...but we need to do better as well!

Brilliance said...

btw, I like the interview/BBQ analogy. It pretty much describes what happened. The rowdy crowd showed up to party with the grown and sexy. A fight broke out. Things fall apart. We see things black & white.

Danny said...

That night was the 2nd night I was there. Despite the rowdiness & potentially getting into it myself, I STILL had a great time.

My argument is:The experience before getting to SLeek is an experience within itself. Getting to Lumiere on a Friday night w/other events going on? ATROCITY!! Parking prices? goes up (parked in the same lot for 1/2 last ... Read Moretime). Line issue & having to be herded in like cattle? NOT COOL...Does that excuse how everyone acts once inside? NOT AT ALL, but having been around this before & understanding a little about psychology, I could see why all of those factors would lead someone to boil over in their emotional warfare perse.

BabsBee said...

NOT TO MENTION THEY MADE US WAIT AN HOUR AND SAID, "WE AREN'T LETTING ANYBODY IN GO HOME!" THEN THEY START TO PUSH US OUT OF THE PLACE AS IF WE WERE SHOE FLIES. NOW I LIVED IN L.A. A LONG TIME...LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THEY DON'T SEE COLOR! WHENA BIG GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICANS SHOW UP ITS A PROBLEM! WHY IS THAT?

WHEN ANY OTHER GROUP SHOWS UP ITS... Read More "OK"! NOT COOL EITHER. AND HONESTLY I WILL NOT SUPPORT LUMIERE EVER AGAIN DUE TO THE DISRESPECT THEY SHOWED! THEY NEVER DID ANYBOY'S ELSE EVENT LIKE THAT BUT BOONE'S! HE NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION WITH THEM BECAUSE IF WE DON'T STAND FOR SOMETHING...WE WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING!

CoCo. said...

I've only been to the Beautiful event 3 times.

I agree with Danny. The parking situation = MESS. The line situation = RIDICULOUS. The first time we went, it was cool despite the parking and line. The second time I went, I had been dining in the restaurant prior to so me and my crew didn't have to wait in moby-diculous line to get inside. The third time, like Danny said, the parking lot price had doubled what it was the last time and not to mention we stood in line for an hour before they finally told everyone they was done for the night, no one else could be let in, go home. I was pissed!

I thought to myself, if this event wasn't a FREE event, they could better control their crowd, the rowdy people and really afford the truly beautiful, grown and sexy crowd the opportunity to make it inside and enjoy their time. I knew this event would get shut down just as Friday nights with Trackstar as the DJ at Halo Bar got shut down. When there is NO COVER, too many "people" standing around not buying drinks and sucking up all the "white man's air" AND on top of it all, acting a damn fool (fighting over VIP tables), the event is hell bound to be shut down.

Really people, is this a surprise?? Why is everyone surprised by Lumiere's reaction to the event especially once the first fight broke out? Yes, the African Americans bring in hella liquid revenue to venues but what good is our money when "they" feel from the jump that either a fight will break out or someone will get shot if their is too many of us in a space? And the whole race card, what places (besides the KKK rally) have you seen just an ALL WHITE crowd? Most of the places I go to with my diverse group of friends is mixed and diverse. And of course they don't get shut down because they don't come to clown or as Teddy mentioned "Come to an interview as though you were coming to a BBQ." It's called etiquette and knowing the protocol for certain venues. I don't eat my food at weddings the same way I would eat my food at a fast food joint. I'm so sick and tired of the stigma that shadows our race and us throwing out the race card. Yes it seems racist from our point of view but from their point of view, all they see is potential damage to their property, someone getting hurt on their property, a lawsuit, and firecodes being violated. I have not researched to see if overpacked venues with a "mostly white" crowd has got shut down for the above stated reasons but then again, most of the fights I see with other races happen outside of the venues in the streets and police are called and the problem is resolved. Maybe that's just the places I have been.

Until we can prove them wrong (which doesn't look too likely anytime soon) then we will continue to get shot down the minute a fight breaks out, a glass drops, people are dancing on tables, about to fight, etc. Think about the Annie Malone Parade and Mr. King throwing the race card out against the media. Yea the playing field may not be even, but that's the burden of proof we are faced with. That is the way it is right now until someone or somebodies prove them wrong and try to even out the playing field.

I'm about to retire my after 5 dress and stay my mark ass home. I don't have time to deal with the unruly mofos ruining it for the whole race syndrome. Hope I didn't piss anyone off. This is my perspective from my experiences.

idoitforthapeople said...

WOW...this comes @ no surprise to me...Though I am disgusted with racially motivated exclusions at the many different night spots, I too was beginning to get turned off from the sight of to many N#$%A @ Sleek....Chris Rock says "I love Black folks but I Hate N$%*A"... This is the same reason why White people tend to move out of neighborhoods when too many Black families move in "White Flight"... The same reason why many of us dont live, party or do business in North STL...The same reason why we prefer for our kids not to go to city schools... I dont believe the majority of us are trying to assimilate into mainstream America, but we dont like to deal with idiots (black or white). I have seen and heard of many bar fights @ white establishments between white people and very seldom have I heard of any shots being fired....but if we look at fights at lets say..hmmm society....what do we witness or hear about??? "Gun Shots"...or "somebody got shot"...idiots... I'm usually very solution oriented but I dont have one for this one......Im sure the owners of Lumiere dont want their establishment loomed with the reputation of being an unsafe environment do to rowdy party goers who may carry guns...

Jada Avenue said...

This is so typical of what happens here. Its like a bad game of musical venues. My question is, would this be an issue if the venues were black owned? Are there any black owned venues in the city that could host these kind of events?

This is why I drink at home. If I want company I can invite people who I know won't act a donkey.

Unknown said...

This was my first time attending the event and aside from the excessively large crowd and getting yelled at by a random woman, everything was all good. I think it's unfair that after just one incident like this, they decide to pull the plug. They should give the promoter an opportunity to make things right. If he were to put the event on again, this time with more structure (charge/guest list/better security), who will know if this will be the success? It's not the promoters fault, but at the same time, the crowd that shows up becomes a reflection of him because of who the word of mouth gets to about the event. A "crowd of black people" is a stigma that we as black people still put onto ourselves. There's no reason why when we see a "group" of us, especially in a club environment, we should be fearing the worst. Everyone shows up with the mindset of having a good time. Things happen, and it's up to security to exercise some control. I know they can't be at all places at once, but it's reassuring to know that when things get out of hand, things can be handled promptly. The business owners of Lumiere/Sleek need to understand that no matter what, things happen and they happened this time. I think they should start fresh and give Cornell another shot. I just think that it would be unfair not to. And with as much notice and awareness this is getting now about how things went down last week, hopefully the next time around, people that show up, know to act better if they want to continue to enjoy the space, good music and good people at Sleek.

Chi said...

I agree with everything Britt is saying the last time I was there like 3 wks ago I wasn't feeling it at all. It wasn't the same the crowd, it was different (not in a good way)..Anything that's good and free at some point needs to be more controlled and I saw this coming the last time I was there. At some point knowing the hstry of STL nightlife and looking and how my crowd was changing I would brought on tougher restrictions dress code, age, invite only etc. temporary at least. (Race) noooo.. If any establishment/owner feels your taking them down a dark tunnel they have the right to switch it up and this has happened in white establishments. If the crowd was the way it was in the beginning (comfortable, nice, classy) the event will still be going. St. Louis has different classes of people when it comes to night life and sometime you can't mix them (plain and simple) that venue was not for the class of people that started coming in and when did it start Friday 05/01

Ms. Parker said...

Maybe I shouldn't comment b/c I had not been to Sleek at all. However, I will speak on the case of these clubs and them getting shut down after BLACKS are fighting in the clubs.

This is what I have seen in a "black" club vs a "white" club so just think about when. When I went to the Loft (before it got "ghetto")and somebody got into it, someone got kicked out the club or they broke up the fight and later on that night someone from that agruement/fight got shot at or jump once they left the club. (I have known this to happen and have seen it) ON THE OTHER HAND: I went to Pepper Lounge and some ppl got into it and after the fight/arguement was broken up, those ppl went on about their business for the rest of the night.

No one wants to be in that type of craziness. I agree with Britt on the "know your place" statement. A lot of us carry around this arrogance/attitude about us like we can't be touched. These ppl, black owner or white owner don't want that type of crap in their club and ppl should think if it was their establishment they would be the same way. You want ppl to come and enjoy themselves not worry about getting shot at after leaving.

Tradestar said...

GOOD LOOKING OUT POSTING THIS BRUH... ST LOUIS HAS ALWAYS HAD A RACIST ASS DOUBLE STANDARD ON CLUB GOERS!!! WHITE VENUES POLICE ARE MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE EXITING TO THEIR VEHICLES. BUT ONCE WE HOST A NIGHT AT THEIR VENUE, MY USUAL EXPERIENCE IS THAT THE POLICE ARE PRESENT LOOKING FOR REASONS TO HARASS US... RUNNING RANDOM PLATES, SEARCHING THE FUCK OUT U/CAR/PASSENGERS IF PULLED OVER, EVERYTHING BUT JUST HELPING US EXIT TO OUR VEHICLES SAFELY. I ATTEND WHITE VENUES FREQUENTLY, AND THEY PARTY JUST AS HARD AS US!!! IF NOT HARDER CUZ. WHITE FOLKS FEAR US IN LARGE CROWDS AND ONCE WE GET LOUD, THEY READY TO CALL THE POLICE!

Anonymous said...

Hello, I am a staff member of Lumiere casino, I will not say which dept I work in because that is way too easy. After reading all these posting I think its crazy how everybody always tries to place the race card. I know why this event was shut down and trust me it had nothing to do w/ race. I think people need to check their sources first before coming to a genealized assumption. I work in a dept here where a majority of those who run it is BLACK so we do have power in what happens.

What I will say was one source of the problem is this event got way out of hand and to avoid somebody getting hurt, we shut it down for your protection. We dont wait for a tragedy to happened before we react. If "we" knew how to act civilized them people wouldnt be afraid to do business w/ us. I heard on several occasion about the rowdiness of the crowd. I was not able to attend and see for myself bc of my position. But if you say you wanna attract an upscale crowd, attract an upscale crowd. Lumiere is a 5 star hotel/casino resort so obviously this event was not fitting the scope of what we envisioned and that why it got shut down, so stop pulling the race card!

www.bfreepaparazzi.com said...

LUMIERE STAFF MEMBER:

A lot of people have echoed your sentiments. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO RESPOND. I like to see both sides represented.

I slowly see the picture becoming clearer and clearer.

Teddy b

www.bfreepaparazzi.com said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JoJo said...

If Sleek was racist WHY would they let Soul Stylz get the venue in the first place? I don't know maybe EYE am not getting it BUT I think this is a common sense issue definitely not a race issue. ONCE Again people fail to realize a casino has different rules than a club. Therefore ANY sign of trouble has to be ended before it gets worse! Remember this is a money making business and anything that is going to hinder profit is going to be stopped. Just like the Staff Member said Lumiere is a 5 Star Casino AND it looks to me that everybody agrees that the original crowd changed for the worst…so someone please tell me what are the debate is about again????

Anonymous said...

I think CoCo hit on sumthin that most promoters know. Free Events bring out the wrong crowd. Plain and simple especially in this city! I think that's a bigger issue than anything. Sometimes you have to pay for upscale and elegance. Free aint always good...

Your Fav. Promoter

Anonymous said...

Just beause someone appears to work for security at Lumiere doesn't mean they do. More than likely they work for the Missouri Gaming Commission, which can override security. They are the people that assess the fines. This is also the reason most of the casinos in the area don't have night clubs or are in the process of getting rid of their nightclubs.

Anonymous said...

Hello, just me, the Lumiere employee again. I see somebody knows exactly how the casino business works..you are exactly right in who ultimately makes the final decisions and access fines, its the Missouri Gaming Commision and anybody who went thru the process of getting licensed knows how difficult the process was and that we have one if not the most strict gaming commissions hence why we decided to not incorporate a club into the final draft before we opened, the MO gaming commission i can guarantee you had the final say so to shut that event down.

Anonymous said...

for got to add..Yes, JoJO is also correct..we are in the business to make money..we are casino..anything that may take from us generating revenue is a problem. Millions of people visit here on a weekly bases. If the 1st thing they hear is that its not safe. they wont come and will sure enough tell their friends..so we lose money. If our regular patrons see this kinda castophy going on like what happened this past Friday, they will stop coming, again we lose money, we lose money, then Im out of a job.

Pinnicle Entertainment spent well over 500 million on this project so im sure they dont appreciate people coming tearing up and trashing the place. Lumiere is absoulutely beautiful and we would like to keep it that way and con't to provide a pleasureable gaming experience. We want the people who cont to spend their money here to enjoy themselves at the same time and not be deterred away because of foolishness.

The gaming rules/standards are very different when it comes to establishing clubs, and regulating rules, liquor standards etc...and you couldnt have said it better, if we are so racist, we would have said no, upfront to Soul Stylz. Hopefully we take this as yet another learning exp for future events otherwise it will be a hot summer...

JoJo said...

I hope I didn’t come off too harshly but I know I am tired of people pulling the race card when really it has nothing to do with it! Just a couple bad people ruining it for everyone else. ALREADY Lush and Society have been shut down because of the violence and from my understanding the city is not stopping there. So the more they shut down these huge clubs the more the people who go there will be coming to clubs or events that they wouldn't normally attend. So I think Sleek is a perfect example of what happens when a crowd is out of its normal territory. Kaos. I think the only way to control this is to enforce dress code and charge admission. Also realize that the upscale/ urban professional scene is one of the smallest markets in Saint Louis. The black Saint Louis night life scene is dominated by the hood market. Just look at how many "hood clubs" there are/were in the past year: Society, Spruill’s, The Loft, T-Billys, Imperial Palace, Knock Outs, The Venue, Lush, etc... All clubs open with 5,6,700+ going to them every weekend....and many have been around for 3 years plus+. How many upscale clubs do we have? One. Exo. And how many upscale clubs have lasted as long as spruills or even lasted a year without getting "hooded out"??? None. and Thats the story of The Black Nightlife Scene. Black Promoters have to convince white establishments, restaurants, venue spaces, and bars that they aren’t like THOSE kind of black people. It’s really crazy what black promoters have to put up with in this city just to put on a good event. I am just frustrated with the entire situation.

Anonymous said...

I completey agree with JoJo's comment. Most of the nice venues have become "hooded" out, and it is a shame. There aren't many nice black establishments around the St. Louis Area besides EXO. I agree, I've seen how the crowd has changed at Lush and and the Loft. Last time it seemed it was nothing but hood rats running around, I left smelling like weed, and being burt with a blunt. This was a totally different crowd then what I initally encountered. I agree the crowd at Sleek was nice originally, but as time progressed and the word spread about the "free" event, the crowd simply changed for the worse. I even have to say that the Teese event this past Sunday brought out a different crowd...why because you could were graphic tee's to get into the club! I have come to the realization free isn't always the best! I look forward to events by certain promoters (LME, bfree, and SYGU) just to name a few, because I know the crowd it will draw. I feel lately after going out it is best to just keep my ass at home, drink, and have people over instead of wasting my money going out and being disappointed of the crowd...that once used to be nice! Black Label...look out...your name is out there...next on the to get "HOODED OUT"!!!!

Anonymous said...

Just a suggestion.. .Why doesnt Soul Styles require attendees to get a VIP or RSVP card from I AM like they did for the one party...Crowd control

JoJo said...

*** correction I misworded my last statement lush wasnt closed down because of the violence it was closed for other reasons BUT midtown in general had become very violent prior to lush closing