“Harlem keeps getting more diverse and better. If this turns out to be an act of homophobia, it would shock me, but would point to areas where we need improvement in the neighborhood and our cultural competency as a neighborhood.
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This is not who we are, and it will absolutely not to be tolerated.’ We need to send the message, ‘This is not Harlem. Alibi has been here, without incident, for three years. “This is such a great neighborhood-so warm and accepting. I feel a lot of emotions, and they’re not good ones.”Ĭole Knapper, LGBTQ chairperson for Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, was also at the bar Monday night and “absolutely shocked” by the attacks. Is it the same person or different people? Are they trying to send a message to you? Are they coming back? I feel responsible for every person who walks through that door. You have no idea what lies behind such things. ‘I just thought, ‘Not again.’ And so we have put another rainbow flag out there, to say ‘We will not be intimidated, we will not give in.’ Of course you start to worry. “I don’t know why anyone would do such a thing,” he said. Barman Lucca Martini was shocked to see the flames. The NYPD had been “brilliant” too, and checked on the bar every night afterwards.
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However, his anger lessened with the “level of support and love” he had received from the community. The act of seeing the arson had been traumatizing, and made Minko ask himself what would have stopped the perpetrator from coming into the bar itself. The May 31 incident happened close to the anniversary of the Pulse mass shooting, Minko added. Minko was at the bar when the first incident happened, and heard about the second from staff on duty on Sunday night. Other customers, who asked not to be named as they sipped their drinks, said they had been disgusted to hear about the flag burnings, and also wanted to come and show their support. You can be purple as long as your credit card goes through.” Like the latter, Alibi serves a predominantly black LGBTQ clientele, although Minko emphasizes: “We are all inclusive. Gibson added: “We came to be bodies-in-the-chairs tonight, to show our support, and say, ‘Yes, we are here.’ It is important that there are LGBTQ spaces in all areas of the city, because we are everywhere and we need to be able to feel supported, loved, and welcome no matter where we are.”Īlibi Lounge's title of the only black-owned LGBTQ bar in New York City, “is one we unfortunately inherited after Club Langston closed last year,” said Minko. We shouldn’t have to deal with this crap up here.” It’s really shocking that this happened in Harlem, where black people are supposed to feel safe. Kennedy told The Daily Beast, “I’m outraged. Inside the bar on Monday night, Nina Kennedy and April Gibson, who just produced an ‘It’s World Pride’ Club Mix, had come to the bar from the East Village to show their support. Governor Andrew Cuomo had directed the state police hate crimes unit to assist the NYPD in its investigation.
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The incidents attracted considerable media coverage: on Monday night, news crews from NBC and ABC’s New York stations stopped by for interviews.
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The flag burnings shocked him-and made him determined to stay open “and stay proud.” Minko opened the bar just over three years ago (on June 24, 2016), and said he had experienced no homophobia during that time. On Monday evening, when The Daily Beast visited the Alibi Lounge, Minko had kept a beady eye on who was outside, and who was coming in past the rainbow flag flanking its entrance.