Chi Chiz Owner Ronelle McKenzie: We’ll Have To Close If Police Harassment Keeps Up
Chi Chiz, the West Village gay bar under assault from NYPD, has been owned since it opened in 1998 by Ronelle McKenzie and Everett Ray. Now because of, ahem, “drug dealing” in the bar, the pair are faced with losing the bar that caters to a clientele of color. But Ronelle says the effort to kick Chi Chiz out of the area isn’t just a crack down on gays, but a race-based affront. And that if the bar continues to face legal challenges to remain open, the fiscal battle will sink the bar.
It may not be about race. Here in Atlanta there was a string of bars that were shut down in the late 90′s and early 00′s based on allegations of ‘drug dealing’, and all of the bars were white. Strangely enough, nearly all of the bars that were closed now have condo towers sitting on the sites where they once stood. Coincidence? One has to wonder. . .
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Hi this is the reporter who created this video. Would be very appreciative if you’d credit me. Thank You