Chicago’s Segregated Nightlife: Why Don’t We Play Together

But we’re not talking neighborhoods. I’m in the thick of one of the most vibrant nightclub scenes in the city.  And the separation has led to sparks, complaints and lawsuits.

I stop in front of the club Proof. Earlier this year the owner here fired a bartender for her racist Facebook rants against black customers. Race-tinged incidents are hard to quantify – but they are hardly isolated. Last summer a white general manager was fired from Fuze in Lincoln Park. She sued the owner in federal court, claiming the club used illegal tactics to limit the number of black male customers. According to the attorney for that manager, the lawsuit was settled. The agreement doesn’t allow either party to comment.

GILMORE: When that went public, I was like, I’ve been telling you all that for years. It just takes somebody in the inside to say it.

Teddy Gilmore is a black party promoter who caters to the African-American, under 30, college-educated set. He cheekily refers to himself as the expert in race and nightlife in Chicago.

GILMORE: The black male has the toughest time. I see a lot of people go to a place called Underground here. I watch them outside. They can’t get in and they don’t understand why. But other people are walking straight in. I’ve been in the nightlife for 17 years for me. Doesn’t matter if I’m in the industry, doesn’t matter. It’s not a racial thing, but they have a ratio of how many black people they actually want to come in the club.

I can’t tell you what club owners like Billy Dec of the Underground and others think. They never returned my phone calls. In fact, it’s a sensitive subject for anyone in the industry.

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