Photographing a Secret Bar Means a Bruisin'

Everyone loves a secret bar, but what happens when the bouncers might be too...bouncery? Someone who tried to take a picture of the secret bar La Esquina claims he and his girlfriend were assaulted and threatened by the bouncers. One bouncer even yelled, "I will take you around the corner and rape you!"

He said this right before coming out and slapping me several times on the sidewalk and knocking the camera from my hands that I was using to document what had just happened. He also threatened that "in the old days you would be dead!" I can only assume he meant the good old days before a bouncer at The Falls murdered someone and the city passed the Bouncer Control Act* this August.

The crime my partner and I committed? Eating some Mexican food and drinking two diet sodas, then walking down a flight of steps past an untended door in their restaurant to get a look at the bar before heading home...

The bouncers in this city have gotten way out of hand and are on some strange power trip like I've never seen in 18 years of living here. They actually took delight in looking for customers to bully and assault. I asked two bouncers AS THEY DRAGGED ME UP THE FLIGHT OF STEPS BY MY WRISTS (and as I offered no resistance whatsoever) if he was a licensed* NYC bouncer, and he said yes but then refused to provide his name or show me a copy of his license. I fear for anyone who gets near these three particular guys we ran into tonight. WOMEN BEWARE. (Men, too!)

Ask yourself before giving this establishment your money who is at fault here. There is something horribly wrong with this picture, horribly wrong with New York City, when customers are ASSAULTED for no reason. We did not push past anyone, we did not threaten or menace them or the customers in anyway. There is no velvet rope. We had already been welcomed into the establishment. We finished our meal, opened a door and walked down a flight of steps. Period. We are a PhD scientist and a writer--hardly a menacing pair.

The victim helpfully linked to the Bouncer Control Act. While we can Monday morning quarterback this all we want about the people having asked permission to take pictures (and who has sneaked a photo here and there?), we have to say - get manhandled seems to be extreme (Angelina and Brad weren't even around!). And even if the bouncers thought they were competition spies, is that any way to handle the situation?

And Gothamist visited La Esquina last year.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 11, 2006 12:23 PM

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11255

"han", you're so stupid...they did call the cops who did nothing! and "another hater" you're dumb too...if you even bothered to read their version of the story (and not the gothamist's erroneous reporting) they weren't nosing around and taking pictures in the first place....

another hater

I'm on the bully bouncers side: all obnoxious photographers who think they're doing something noble by nosing around and taking pictures of things of people and "secret places" without their permission need to get the shit kicked out of them good.

han

what a fucking tool.

if i were assaulted, i'd call the police, not put up a website.

no dog in fight

Thanks for the link to his photos of the "bouncer".

This place sounds like a shithole. they better watch out.

11255

i cannot believe some of you people.....first of all, who cares if they're a phD or writer or whatever? does that give someone the right to beat them up for no reason??? and they weren't in the bar to take pictures...they weren't initially stopped at the door, so they went ahead down the steps, and then the bouncers went ballistic and beat them up and tossed them out....from what i can gather from reading their letter, the cops DID show up, but wouldn't do anything even though this was a legitimate assault...so they took pictures to document the bouncers (while standing on a public sidewalk, no law against that!!) and the bouncer ran after him, broke his camera, and roughed him up some more and threatened to rape his girlfriend....how horrific! scary that such violent bouncers and the police were in cahoots...so to all of you morons who don't read things thoroughly, the cops WERE involved, they weren't taking pics at the bar to begin with, they didn't trespass, and they were badly roughed up and no one did anything about it...and all you people can say is that they were lame for drinking diet cokes???! and you gothamist reporters are just about as bad as the police by totally giving a wrong slant to the story...at least read their letter and get your facts straight!!!

not a PhD

Check out Mr PhD's fake reviews on Citysearch:

http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/41750773

dude

Nic - You're a douche.

Nic Egal

I frequent La Esquina on week nights and have never seen a stereotypical bouncer type. I've been turned away once, but most of the time pass the hostess and make a right turn to a chorus of greetings from the kitchen staff. Show respect and you'll get it back.

skeptical

yeah, it's saturday night and that usually means amped up bouncers and B&T, etc. but i've actually been recently on a sat. night for dinner and it was fine. i'm highly skeptical of this story... first, if you know the door guys, you know they're not huge bouncer types. second, it's not a "lounge" -- it's a restaurant with a bar area and it actually has very good food. third, it's not a secret as anyone can call for a reservation. if gothamist went last year - how could it be regarded as a secret? fourth, and everyone else seems to raise this, why didn't they call the cops? methinks there's another reason. i'll bet there's another side to this story...

Nerd Police

I'm not completley getting behind this guy either. These dweebs are out ordering diet soda on a Saturday night, then trying to scope some leet bar? They deserved to get tossed. Even his story annoyed the hell out of me, so I can't imagine what I'd feel like if I was a bouncer trying to protect the allure and profitability of the bar that pays me.

Seriously though. They serve Diet Coke at Duane Reade, and no one kicks out out of there.

gaycurmudgeon

Well, surprise, surprise. Someone finally got manhandled at La Esquina. I'm surprised they didn't get killed.

I've been complaining about this Eurotrash/fratboy/B&T hellhole since practically the day they opened and, not only have I not gotten any response from 311 (a joke) or the police (another joke), but apparently the problem has gotten even WORSE. (And this after someone was murdered by a bouncer RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET!).

It's unfortunate that someone has to get killed in order for anyone to take notice, but that seems to be the reality of living in NYC these days. It's every man for himself, fuck everybody else. Oh yeah, and the cops could care less.

The Empire

Even if they were trespassing (BTW - who the hell wants to go through all that to sit in a friggin bar?), threatening to take someone's girlfriend around the corner and rape them is a little over the top.

Agreed, the should've called the cops outright. This is not going to go anywhere if they didn't file a police report that night.

fredshah

i find this story hard to believe considering the fact that Esquina doesn't have bouncers - it's a restaurant. and i've taken plenty of pictures inside myself, along with many others who are there for birthday dinners, etc.

yame

if you actually read their shrill lil webpage and pdf letter to lasquina's owner, you'll see that gothamist's headline here is flawed when it portrays this like the man was tossed out for trying to photograph the bar (which, ostensibly due to its "secret" status, would supposedly be against some kind of policy). that's not what i read. it seems more like they were tossed for not getting cleared by the door man first, for going down the stairs which were behind the door which was untended. not sure if that affects how anyone feels about this case, but gothamist's shoddy reporting needs to be corrected.

robin.g

Something smells. These people were grabbed and thrown around and the cops did nothing? Is that typical? No one can put their hands on you. Or am I being naive? It's not like they are gang members or involved in the mafia. They just wanted to get a look at the bar and did not follow the "rules" and make a precious phone call first to get permission. This place sounds retarded.

Ian

Yeah, Esquina is totally over. Once you walk down there once, the thrill is gone. After that, it's just a typical lounge.

bumbaclaut

"He also threatened that "in the old days you would be dead!" I can only assume he meant the good old days before a bouncer at The Falls murdered someone and the city passed the Bouncer Control Act* this August."

This guy has a sarcastic attitude. The statement above makes him sound like an ass hole. The case for Imette St Guillen has not gone to trial. I am not in favor of illegal ass Little John, he know something. (different blog) However, there are no real facts which lead to obvious conclusions in regards to what The Falls did or did not do. So the guy above shouldn't mix apples and oranges.

"We are a PhD scientist and a writer--hardly a menacing pair." Obviously that is not the case. Looking geeky and nerdy can be harmful.