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Williamsburg Bar Hugs Doesn't Want Certain Patrons

racism0909.jpg
Photo via Ben5000's Flickr

With a name like Hugs one would think the Williamsburg-based bar would open their arms to all types of patrons. But they hung a sign stating: "No Timberlands, No Baggie Jeans, No Hoodies, No Sports Attire..." and the list goes on... and we all know hipsters wear skinny jeans. Their finals words: "We have the right to be selective!" We've contacted the bar to help us translate the sign, but they're currently using their right not to answer the phone.

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

Comments [rss]

  • Espiazul

    I am on who wears baggy clothes and twists his fitted cap. I have a Master's degree, a great career, make over $80k a year (I'm not a rapper), live with my girl of 5 years and our dog, are active members of park's community group, and enjoy many of the finer things our society offers.... And I often find that upon first meeting, people look at me sideways, are afraid to speak to me, or just won't take me seriously. Fuck you. I'm educated, have a job (most likely am happier with my gig than you are and make more money than you), I vote responsibly, pay taxes, read the paper, and get involved. Take your prejudices and stick them up your asses. You are wrong.

  • peter

    I dont know if you all have noticed or not but there's a reason that so many of you think its a gay bar (well besides the pink neon HUGS sign)- could it be the fact that they have a ton of Gay parties now? if you go in there on the weekends there are a TON of gay dudes, so this policy may not be for black people- this dress code would keep out all of the staten island, jersey and Long Island douchebags that are the types that are likely to cause a scene when immersed in a group of gay people.



    i agree with the bar owner a few comments above- I think many people are jumping to the conclusion of racism, when it is more likely that they are trying to keep out "hoodlums" or "thugs". and last time i knew they came in all colors.



    and jen carlson- before you wrote this, you should have gotten some back story of why this is happening- one phone call does not equal reporting.

  • Jimmy37

    Yo' way to go. Don't need none of those gangbangers.



    A bar fight with swinging furniture and broken bottles is bad enough, without worrying about guns going off.

  • sunnyqueens

    I got refused entrance at Bowl Mor in USQ for wearing shorts (cute shorts, not cut-off sweatpants or anything) and I'm a 26 year-old girl. Never going back there again (overpriced and lame anyway). Any place that's more concerned about its image than about customer service doesn't really need my money.

  • movi

    Oh, and by the way. If you're 26, you're not a girl anymore. You're a woman.

  • movi

    Aw, honey, don't fret about it. It's just that Bowl-Mor likes to keep out the hookers.

  • Potty Boy

    Sounds like you're bitter and just lashing out, instead of looking in the mirror and self-critiquing. By preserving their image, they are providing customer service, service for those customers who agree with enforcing standards.

  • mcd153

    i am a bar owner in Brooklyn. i agree that this sign seems extreme. the sign depicts hoodlums and not Blacks/Hispanics or other minorities. every bar has a code of dress which keeps people out that do not interact well with others. this is not a color issue, its a type of person issue. i believe anyone who has labeled this sign racist is jumping to conclusions and not taking the time to realize all the variables that go into the clientele of a bar. although i do not know the intentions of the owners of this bar, all too often people get riled up without just cause. i think this could be the case.

  • Potty Boy

    100% in agreement with your reasoning. Very sensible response.

  • othernel

    A quick google of "DJ David Serrano" shows that you're not really all that hispanic in the eyes of most people. Yeah, your last name is there, but that's about it.



    I am actually Hispanic, with a name and skin color that represents it. And I don't wear any of those things, but I am willing to bet if I did, I'd get the boot faster than some white hipster kid from Iowa wearing a flat brimmed Cubs hat ironically.

  • nice job

    whle i agree that it is completely racist, i suspect that the real purpose is to keep drug dealers out...

  • Hades

    If there isn't any money involved for him, then Al Sharpton isn't going anywhere near it. I loved when he was on a show talking about how he was supporting poor people and he didn't have a job. He said he was poor himself and only helped those who were poor. The announcer asked him about his watch and suit. $14,000 Rolex watch and $5,000 suit. Too funny.



    That sign was there to keep out thugs and the same thing is showing up everywhere. It's not racism. Black people wear hoodies,long white tees, timberlands, and baggie jeans. White people do too. They are USUALLY thugs. They are not welcome. No problem-don't go or dress appropriately. Not rocket science.



  • dwightsupremacy

    Fitted hats?

  • DJDavidSerrano

    ANYONE who thinks this sign is racist IS A RACIST themselves, because you automatically assume that a person that wears these clothes is a minority. First of all, its a HIPSTER bar, therefore, they want HIPSTERS patronizing it. Last time I checked, HIPSTERS came in ALL different colors as do THUGS. I am hispanic and DO NOT wear baggy jeans or any of the other attire listed and I've been to HUGS MANY times without incident. You're right, they don't want a certain type there, THUGS. But it has NOTHING to do with someone's color. And if you believe that ONLY BLACKS or HISPANICS are THUGS then YOU ARE A RACIST!

  • HOTCUP

    are you serious? it's obvious that the sign is alluding to a black stereotype. you've got to be pretty naive to think that it's an inclusive style.



    also, love the cryptic DJ handle.

  • firewire

    oh i always thought hipsters were some sort of aerobics instructors or people that were really good at the macarena dance.

  • LibHater

    i think the sign is fine. it's their establishment and they have the right to refuse service to people. more bars should be like this. if you dress like a piece of shit go to a piece of shit bar.

  • lila von engel

    the knee-jerk hipster-hate is embarrassing at this point. still angry because the cheerleaders wouldn't let you sit at their lunch table, or what? talk about lumping a group of people together and labeling them...

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    What's embarrassing is any adult who dresses like Jughead from the Archie Comics. They deserve all the derision that wit and imagination can devise.

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    BTW, 95 South on Franklin Ave., a restaurant/club where I have never seen a white patron, has a similar dress code posted at the entrance. Folks who want to spend a Saturday night not surrounded by gangsta wannabes aren't necessarily racist--or even necessarily white.



    Also, I defy anybody to tell a gay hipster bar from a straight hipster bar. Aren't gay hipsters guys who sleep together without removing their tidy white American Apparel underwear? Gay bars used to have names like Spike, Lure, Ramrod, Rawhide, Eagle. 'Hugs' sounds like a diaper. You probably couldn't get laid there without showing the play list on your iphone first.

  • Abbott

    Looks like someone's had problems with "thugs" causing trouble in their bar.



    Don't know what to say. The sign screams racist (though white people dress like this too), but at the same time I bet it's solved the problem.

  • cjp42

    no "baggie" jeans must mean no pants made out of ziploc baggies. which means 'baggy' jeans are OK...i can get with that

  • WesleySnipesAlot

    c'mon guys, you can't even get this to 100 comments? Back in my day trolling meant something...

  • Nyctini11

    Maybe they should change their logo, Put a "T" in an x'ed out circle in front, maybe hang a dixie flag..

  • pipsy

    This is literally the first location in Williamsburg I am intrigued enough to visit. Success.

  • pudeljung

    BAD HUGZ! No dessert for you.



    No Niggaz!! and the niggaz would know who they are too.



    Honestly, I don't think they are trying to be racist, just trying to keep hoodlum shit out of the bar. I totally understand.



    WORD TO YO MUTHAFUCKA

  • samash

    If hip-hop culture has no qualms about being homophobic, it makes some sense for a queer bar to try to put off the more thug paraphernalia sporting dudes... esp. if there's a cover charge... save everybody the drama

  • NannyState

    They're already discriminating against the next wave of hipsters.

  • nycasp

    Actually, inoyourider, even better, it's a PRIVATE bar! they can put up whatever they want.



    by the way



    "Dress Code: no sneakers, no jerseys, no baseball caps, no doo-rags, no workboots"



    care to guess where that is from?



    40/40 club webpage.



    owned by RAPPER jay-z.

  • inoyourider

    Right, I meant to say public.

  • inoyourider

    Right this HAS to be racist doesn't it?

    After all that's the only way black people dress right?

    It's a public bar and their right.

    Other clubs have dress codes, this is theirs.

    Most of the stuff they describe looks shitty anyways.

  • Trilby16

    It is fairly clear who they wish to exclude!



    The trendy restaurants plagued with small children should try it:



    No binkies!

    No diapers!

    No one under 2'3"!

    No illiterates!

    No thumb-suckers!





  • pudeljung

    LOL

    word to Trilby!

  • pipsy

    I like how you think.

  • AnnaMerkin

    So do Fedoras count as fitted hats? Perhaps they should be more specific and bar fitted baseball caps. Otherwise, they will discriminate against a large portion of the so-called hipster population.

  • Billiamsburg

    Wait what about the 40th street bars and restaurants that require a jacket? Is that racist? Or classist? Isn't that the same as saying 'no middle class whites, black, etc'? Why can't a private place just not want a certain class element? It's a dress code that says 'no ghetto thugs' not 'no blackies'. Those douchebag white Long Island guys can't get in either under this dress code. If you want to go to a bar that is ok with that you have your option, this is America after all.



    Not that's Id go to Hugs anyway, since I'm not the specific type of douchebag they are targeting either.

  • brunning

    update: the sign has been removed.

  • mdow

    i really wish you'd said "this place has been removed," but the sign's a start.

  • jaycjay

    With a quick glance down the page, there are at least four reviews on the linked Yelped page that were written by black people. They range from three stars to five. Obviously those reviewers have had no problem getting past the door, and no problems once they were in.



    Now, ask the management of nearby Greenpoint nightspots Production Lounge and Red Star Bar why they both stopped having any hip hop shows. Short answer: too many violent incidents involving guns and knives.



    I was just at an event at Production Lounge, though, a week or so ago. Everyone in the band that was playing was black. Yes, black people are welcome.



    This sign, and the booking decisions of those places, aren't discriminating against any race. They're moves against a particular scene that some venues find to be more trouble than it's worth.

  • theLtrain

    Perhaps the Williamsburg natives shouldve put up a sign on the Brooklyn bound tracks at 14th and 1st that said:



    NO skinny jeans

    NO drunken disrespectful behavoir

    NO vans/converse

    NO living in our warehouses

    NO brakeless fixed gear bikes.



    Fuck this bar, it's owners and it's patrons.

  • mouser

    you don't have to go there. it is clear they don't want black people there, ok, certain black people. they are a weak and gross place. at first sight i thought it was the jews they didn't want. let them be swallowed by their rent.

  • potsmoker

    NO TRUCKER HATS

    NO ELVIS GLASSES

    NO IRONIC TEES

    NO TIGHT PANTS

    NO FLIPFLOPS

    PROPER ID OVER 21

    WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO BE SELECTIVE

    NO DOUCHEBAGS FROM OHIO

  • chrissederstrom

    once i was in hugs wearing just a red thong and a bathrobe - nobody seemed to have a problem with that

  • chrissederstrom

    oh how i hate ohio state

  • pipsy

    Why always make fun of Ohio? Really? Can some one answer this one? Have you ever been to Ohio?

  • chchch

    yes, that's why it is made fun of.

  • JacqueMehoff

    OK, I think they are trying to keep out 2 types of customers, the wiggers and the *iggers. aka most of Staten Island.

    Timberlands are considered "dress" shoes in some circles. OK, I'll say it again, Asians.

  • polit_burro

    So what kind of bar is this? what is the context?? report dammit, don't just throw shit up there!..oh wait, it's jen carlson

  • movi

    I know.

  • Spirit of 76

    I don't see how this is discrimination. You can always go home and change. Is it really so different from "no shirt, no shoes, no service"?



    I remember when Timberlands were only worn by outdoorsy types rather than as some kind of urban fashion statement.

  • chucklehead

    My goodness. Honestly, most of you folks seem to adhere to the stereotype that ALL black and Hispanic people dress this way.



    If so, y'all need to get out more.

  • shugababe192

    Agreed! Oh by the way, the black/latino people you work with do not count as friends. Sorry.

  • DJDavidSerrano

    ANYONE who thinks this sign is racist IS A RACIST themselves, because you automatically assume that a person that wears these clothes is a minority. First of all, its a HIPSTER bar, therefore, they want HIPSTERS patronizing it. Last time I checked, HIPSTERS came in ALL different colors as do THUGS. I am hispanic and DO NOT wear baggy jeans or any of the other attire listed and I've been to HUGS MANY times without incident. You're right, they don't want a certain type there, THUGS. But it has NOTHING to do with someone's color. And if you believe that ONLY BLACKS or HISPANICS are THUGS then YOU ARE A RACIST!

  • Bernie Madoff-Goetz

    I love how everyone assumes they just put this sign up arbitrarily one day out of some groundless, blind disdain for young black males. Anyone bother to check and see if there is an actual reason they implemented this policy? Like maybe a few too many knuckleheads from the hood started one too many fights and they decided enough was enough? Curbs on sports jerseys, baseball caps, hoodies, wearing certain colors, etc. are in place at a lot of clubs and bars FOR A REASON.

  • snickerdoodle

    I see nothing wrong with the sign, the bar has a right to keep certain elements out in order to avoid problems. Why do you all assume it's about race? Plenty of white kids try to dress like thugs cause they think it makes them look cool. If I were a bar owner I wouldn't want thugs of any color patronizing my place either.

  • T

    Yeah, if only there was a term for discriminating against someone for others peoples actions....

  • Bernie Madoff-Goetz

    Bad apples ruin the barrel. Semantics aren't to blame.

  • glob

    Black hipsters, and the dishwasher allowed. All other darkies need not apply.

  • VanessaNYC

    Exactly.

  • smitty

    WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE CLASSIST!! AND PROBABLY RACIST!!

  • matty

    They should just come out and say that you need to have went to a east coast liberal arts college to hang out here. Preferably one of the Seven Sisters - bonus if you're male.

  • movi

    You mean "need to have gone..."

  • JacqueMehoff

    a group should pay that place a visit Improv everywhere style. I like to bust chops wearing my nerdiest LLBean clothes and wait in line to a club. I get the "sorry, private party" line almost every time.

  • hexatron

    no hoodies? are you serious?

    that uh... gets rid of a lot of the white hipster clientele as well.

    idiots.

  • Bort

    Where's Al Sharpton? I'm not even trying to be snarky...he should really get involved with this!

  • Bort

    Also, if you want to get involved beyond an internet comment, give them a call: (718) 599-5959

  • NewHCE

    Aw, that's nothing. You've got to come to DC where businesses REALLY know how to discriminate.



    From Lucky Strike Bowling Alley.



    http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbma44/68847229/

  • inoyourider

    Oh my god- those rules are SOOO strict!

    It's almost they want you to dress and act like a normal person instead of an idiot.

  • matty

    "Hispanic Cracka Nigga even yangs wearin white tee"



    White tees are a celebration of diversity!

  • wobbleSmith

    i smell forthcoming violence!

  • chucklehead

    I don't see what all the hub-bub is about.



    If you insist on dressing like a low-level criminal wannabe with outstanding warrants, prepared to be treated as such.



    Just as if you insist on dressing as a trust-fund hipster, prepare to be treated as such.



    oh, and las2381: if your friend was really barred from sutton place for no reason other than his ethnicity, there's ways of striking back -- a hidden camera video sting posted on youtube, followed up by a lawsuit, would be the first things that come to mind.

  • charlesv

    Hugs, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish



    but this is the most overtly racist piece of shit thing of ALL TIME



    OF ALL TIME

  • KiljoyWasHere

    baggie?

  • brunning

    MPD clubs might be able to claim a "no-sneakers", upscale dress code, but this is different.



    If you've ever been inside Hugs, you'd know they have nothing close to a "dress code." It's not a fancy bar, it's full of kids in streewear, and plenty of hoodies (come on, it's next to American Apparel, h-ster love hoodies).



    It's also next to Sea, which claims a largely black and Hispanic clientele.

  • valeriob

    Nothing says "We're scared little white boys" like a "You're not welcome here" sign.

  • longacre

    Drunk white guys get into fist fights. Drunk gangsta wannabes get kicked out and come back to shoot the bouncer and the girl he kicked it to who wasn't impressed with his gold teeth. If you dress like a thug, you should expect to be treated as such.

  • gawzmta

    Oh yeah, that shit happens allll the time around here. So tired of it.

  • tolu1973

    HUGS: NO THUGS

  • YELLOWFOOT

    I can understand the long white tee there really funny looking

  • cutlass

    I'm sure this IS a racial thing, but there are those hilarious Greenpoint Polish wiggers that hang around these parts, too.

  • brandonz

    Uh, not sure why this is news other than it is in Williamsburg? Lots of bars and clubs and amusement parks have dress codes like this, for better or worse.



    I like the "No Pinocchio Pants" sign at Connolly's in Rockaway Beach:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/funlap/3735066293/

  • othernel

    I like how it's no "fitted" hats.



    I'll willing to be an ironic "#1 grandma" hat from Buffalo Exchange would be just fine in that place.

  • matty



    [Background]

    Franchize! In my white tee

    Yep in my white tee [12x]



    [Hook:]

    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback I look clean in my white tee



    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback i look clean in my white tee



    [Verse 1:]

    Step on the scene with some green and some hard white work

    Real clean fresh jeans and a all white shirt

    We all get money and we all smoke

    Hit da dirt one squirt will leave all yall merk

    Cause im fresh in my white tee they glance at my white tee

    and I got the hat that match my pants and my white tee

    Whoever that you might see

    I know they got a white tee

    Uncle brother sister mother daddy or your wifey

    Hanes or fruit ofloom be tha

    Name of my white tee

    I gotta change man its a stain on my white tee

    Lames in a white tee I bring the pain in my white tee

    Hispanic Cracka Nigga even yangs wearin white tee

    Hit the club deep and we all got a white tee

    A throw back no that hell naw it'on 'cite me

    You dont need no throwback cause you will be set on your white

    Tee you can get a circle or a V-neck on ur white tee



    [Hook:]

    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback I look clean in my white tee



    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback i look clean in my white tee



    [Verse 2:]

    I hit the mall in my white tee

    Oh I think they like me or they like them diamonds cause they shine so brightly

    Yeah you know i how i be under my tee it the wifey

    Fo-fo tucked titely

    For them bussas who think im soft nigga come and try me

    They gon find your body

    White tees in the club while we drinking on bacardi

    fo-get throwbacks white tees in tha party

    Now dont get me started gotta try bacardi

    Drama we avoid it

    Everyone wear white tees cause they can afford it

    Girls wear a white tee, boys wear a white tee

    playaz in the trap now I bet they got a white tee

    champs got them white tees, LA foot got them white tee

    When we hit the club, they look at them white tees

    Oh they buy clean white shoes fresh jeans

    But on that boy shirt what it say not a thingg



    [Hook:]

    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback I look clean in my white tee



    I slang in my white tee

    I bang in my white tee

    All in the club spittin game in my white tee

    I bling in my white tee

    serve feigns in my white tee

    fuck up throwback i look clean in my white tee



    I gotta couple throwbacks it just I choose not to wear them

    White tee extravganza nigga like a foot locker sale

    But think if i don' fail but my paper stacking a lot

    Or you can throw back this

    but Partner check my nine

    And im a ghetto gangsta white tee laws gone hate ya

    In the street gangs with a little fame females gonna chase ya

    Can't escape from this white shit it done covered the map

    Like crack been the in the 80's and it took over the trap

    Come to the hood you can find me trappin in my white tee

    Standing with a full grill nigga might try me know sho how i be still in my white tee

    Rock jeans tiger green yeah hos like me

    Haters try and bite me

    Some try to dislike me

    Became a rich shawty and the feds try to indite me



    Yep in my white tee [12x]



    Yep

  • movi

    That's three scrolls of the mouse wheel I'll never get back.

  • duckfeather

    Yep.

  • Rocknrope

    What is a "fitted hat"?

  • pipsy

    aka "ball cap" obviously not intended towards ironic headwear and the like

  • Trilby16

    My son just schooled me about this! There are two kinds of baseball caps: fitteds, and the other kind with the plastic piece in the back that makes the hat adjustable.



    So I finally understand why guys leave the big shiny size sticker on the bill. They want you to know they're rocking fitteds.

  • RevWaldo

    Wondered that myself. Apparently it just means a hat - assuming in this case a baseball cap - that's fitted to your hat size.



    All you hipsters sporting your Squidbillies-inspired trucker hats will still be in like flynn.



    What if you're wearing stuff on the list, but, like, y'now, ironically? Like with rainbow suspenders 'n stuff?

  • Rocknrope

    No "Mork from Orks"

  • VanessaNYC

    I think they mean no doo-rags.

  • SikBug

    That's a nice sign and immma let you finish but those white only signs were a lot worse.

  • imadick

    "we have the right to be selective in applying our rules"

  • tnturner

    I wouldn't call it a race thing. There are plenty of pimp-stepping white boys in BK that subscribe to those atrocious thugly stylings.

  • SikBug

    I always walked by that place and assumed it was a gay bar. No lie.

  • casey shain

    what the hell is that supposed to mean?

  • hexatron

    it means that aside from being blatantly racist, i'm right within their desired clientele and that sign tells me i can't come in, either.

    so... they're idiots, and racists. what about that statement offends you?

  • casey shain

    sounds homophobic to me.

  • 00sweeney

    I'm gay, and I assumed it was a gay bar as well when I heard the name. I mean, come on--Hugs?

  • SikBug

    It's called Hugs and has a pink neon sign, you do the math.

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