Racist Graffiti tag on downtown nightclub after denied liquor license

**crment** · June-04-12, 09:07 AM

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**WPitonya** · June-04-12, 09:10 AM

Wow someone really classy must have done this. Way to move the region forward...

**DetroitPlanner** · June-04-12, 09:20 AM

How do you know its racist when it is illegible?

**crment** · June-04-12, 09:27 AM

Ok Detroitplanner, Let's just call it what it is, and that is some ignorant a-holes tagged the door with some racist nonsense.

**rjlj** · June-04-12, 09:54 AM

Did anyone think that this was done by the owners to gain sympathy for being denied a license? Trying to make it look like they are the victim?

**jtf1972** · June-04-12, 09:55 AM

Stupid people do stupid things.

About a decade ago in NYC there was a wave of graffiti that said "NO MORE NIG" It seemed to be everywhere. Exactly as I typed. I did not edit it. It was in abbreviated form. It led to a great line from a comedian... "On the way here I saw some graffiti on the subway that said 'NO MORE N.I.G.' It made me wonder what happened to the person that was unable to finish the word."

**jolla** · June-04-12, 10:13 AM

That is horrible. What the hell is wrong with people?

**Johnnny5** · June-04-12, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by rjlj

Did anyone think that this was done by the owners to gain sympathy for being denied a license? Trying to make it look like they are the victim?

I wouldn't put it past those idiots! Given their shenanigans in trying to keep the doors open doing something like this would be right up their alley.

Ten minutes with a razor blade and the words are gone forever. With any luck that cesspool of a nightclub is gone for good as well!

**crment** · June-04-12, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Johnnny5

I wouldn't put it past those idiots! Given their shenanigans in trying to keep the doors open doing something like this would be right up their alley.

Ten minutes with a razor blade and the words are gone forever. With any luck that cesspool of a nightclub is gone for good as well!

I guess there is some tension in the area about this club. I can see now why the building was tagged. Cesspool? That is pretty harsh for a club that has not openned yet under their new management.

**SWMAP** · June-04-12, 11:22 AM

Well, on the corner of Buchanan and Junction there is a death shrine to a woman who was killed in an automobile accident a few months ago. It is quite large and occupies two utility poles. Stapled to each pole is are tee-shirt elements of the shrine. Both tee-shirts proclaim how much the victim- "My West-Side Nigga" - will be missed. Picket fences, liquor bottles and silk flowers are arranged around.

How does the use of "Nigga" in that shrine differ from the use on the LAX tag?

**jtf1972** · June-04-12, 11:38 AM

After drinking coffee & getting my brain functioning it hit me... Would somebody that would actually spray racist graffiti on a business [[considering what I believe was to be misspelled) actually follow the plight of whether they received a liquor license, then attempt to rub their nose in it?

Something seems odd.

**BigD** · June-04-12, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by rjlj

Did anyone think that this was done by the owners to gain sympathy for being denied a license? Trying to make it look like they are the victim?

Given that management played the "race card" several times in their attempt to secure a permanent liquor license, I would not be at all surprised if this was an inside job to try to gain sympathy.

**jtf1972** · June-04-12, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

How does the use of "Nigga" in that shrine differ from the use on the LAX tag?

Go tag that shrine with "U Lose Nigga" and see how different it is received.

**antongast** · June-04-12, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by BigD

Given that management played the "race card" several times in their attempt to secure a permanent liquor license, I would not be at all surprised if this was an inside job to try to gain sympathy.

This makes no sense. Who's going to see this tag and have sympathy for the owners? A normal person sees it and thinks "whoever did that is an idiot," and then there's the subset of the population who sees it and thinks "there go those wacky black folks again, always playing the race card and trying to get sympathy." Nobody is going to see it and think "damn, that place really should have a liquor license."

Not to mention, if the issue has already been decided, how would the owners even benefit from random passersby having sympathetic thoughts about them? I'm tying my brain into knots just trying to follow your reasoning.

**j to the jeremy** · June-04-12, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

After drinking coffee & getting my brain functioning it hit me... Would somebody that would actually spray racist graffiti on a business [[considering what I believe was to be misspelled) actually follow the plight of whether they received a liquor license, then attempt to rub their nose in it?

Something seems odd.

Would a building full of white "professionals" who fought against a loud hip-hop club on their block harbor a couple racists, unkowingly or knowingly? I don't see what's so unlikely about that.

**crment** · June-04-12, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by SWMAP

Well, on the corner of Buchanan and Junction there is a death shrine to a woman who was killed in an automobile accident a few months ago. It is quite large and occupies two utility poles. Stapled to each pole is are tee-shirt elements of the shrine. Both tee-shirts proclaim how much the victim- "My West-Side Nigga" - will be missed. Picket fences, liquor bottles and silk flowers are arranged around.

How does the use of "Nigga" in that shrine differ from the use on the LAX tag?

If you don't know the difference by now, you never will.

**jtf1972** · June-04-12, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

Would a building full of white "professionals" who fought against a loud hip-hop club on their block harbor a couple racists, unkowingly or knowingly? I don't see what's so unlikely about that.

I agree with this, as being from one of the fairer skinned ethnic backgrounds I still hear appalling things come from the mouths of others [[even some who do a great deal of good in society.)

Still, I don't know that someone who is a "professional" would see spray painting the front of a business as being a method used to enjoy a victory.

**corktownyuppie** · June-04-12, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

After drinking coffee & getting my brain functioning it hit me... Would somebody that would actually spray racist graffiti on a business [[considering what I believe was to be misspelled) actually follow the plight of whether they received a liquor license, then attempt to rub their nose in it?

Something seems odd.

As someone who was publicly against their behavior and advocated for their operations to cease, I will toss in my few cents.

[[1) The graffiti makes me angry...whether it's someone ecstatic about their closure or someone from the club trying to gain sympathy.

[[2) I had a really hard time getting people to sign a damn petition because the people who were most angry about the club also tended to be professionals who were too busy to download a letter and sign it...it seems unlikely -- though possible -- that they would take the time to do something like this.

[[3) Let's remember the Belle Isle Fish Assassins. Before we blame anyone or blame anyone for blaming anyone, maybe we should just take a deep breath and acknowledge that this action was hurtful, unjustified, and wrong.

**iheartthed** · June-04-12, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

Would a building full of white "professionals" who fought against a loud hip-hop club on their block harbor a couple racists, unkowingly or knowingly? I don't see what's so unlikely about that.

I have a hard time believing that this was done by someone who lives in the area. Why would you put so much effort into fighting the club only to deface the neighborhood with this type of graffiti? My guess is that it was done by someone from outside of... the community... who may have been following the story in the media.

**j to the jeremy** · June-04-12, 01:52 PM

Not everyone who signs petitions does it for the same reason

**corktownyuppie** · June-04-12, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

Not everyone who signs petitions does it for the same reason

Well of course. Not every vandal does it for the same reason either.

**j to the jeremy** · June-04-12, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I have a hard time believing that this was done by someone who lives in the area. Why would you put so much effort into fighting the club only to deface the neighborhood with this type of graffiti? My guess is that it was done by someone from outside of... the community... who may have been following the story in the media.

Like a friend who came and spent the night after the Tigers game?

**iheartthed** · June-04-12, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by j to the jeremy

Not everyone who signs petitions does it for the same reason

Yeah but... It takes a bit of effort to move into Detroit as it is. It's not one of those places you just roll into without much thought. Most newcomers arrive already having a bit of civic pride in the place. So, with that in mind, it's hard for me to imagine that someone who lives the vicinity of LAX is responsible. I could be wrong... But I don't easily see that. If I were a betting man, which I am sometimes, I would say this sounds suspiciously similar to the incident where those guys dumped all of that white paint on the Joe Louis fist a few years back.

**cramerro** · June-04-12, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

As someone who was publicly against their behavior and advocated for their operations to cease, I will toss in my few cents.

[[1) The graffiti makes me angry...whether it's someone ecstatic about their closure or someone from the club trying to gain sympathy.

[[2) I had a really hard time getting people to sign a damn petition because the people who were most angry about the club also tended to be professionals who were too busy to download a letter and sign it...it seems unlikely -- though possible -- that they would take the time to do something like this.

[[3) Let's remember the Belle Isle Fish Assassins. Before we blame anyone or blame anyone for blaming anyone, maybe we should just take a deep breath and acknowledge that this action was hurtful, unjustified, and wrong.

Haven't seen this anywhere else on DY yet, but I read this AM that the Belle Isle story was bunk... some fish died but no foul play.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012060...m-Detroit-fish

**kryptonite** · June-05-12, 08:05 AM

Originally Posted by jtf1972

I agree with this, as being from one of the fairer skinned ethnic backgrounds I still hear appalling things come from the mouths of others [[even some who do a great deal of good in society.)

Still, I don't know that someone who is a "professional" would see spray painting the front of a business as being a method used to enjoy a victory.

White people are not the only ones that use racial slurs. It's pretty commonly used by all races. I would suspect that maybe some very pissed off neighbors of either race could have done this just to spite the LAX club, which has done little to avoid making enemies.