Last week’s Crawley Observer filled its front page with a story about the police looking into allegations of racist door policies at the Bar Med in Crawley’s High Street.

This week it is followed up on page two with a much smaller piece containing the following:

• A number of clubbers (presumably non-white) have contacted the paper saying how they had been refused entry.
• The CPS have advised the council’s licensing board to look into the allegations.
• The CPS are not pursuing it any further due to lack of evidence.

The Bar Med solicitor says that “it all seems to be rumour and hearsay” and “there’s never been a racist policy at Bar Med and there never will be.”

While I am certain that the company has no such policies, and this particular Bar Med probably does not, this has obviusly not filtered down to the door staff.

A friend of ours went to the Bar Med for a drink after a meal out with her husband. When they got to the door the bouncer said “not tonight eh love.” Both were respectably dressed, having been out for a meal, so the lady asked why not. The bouncer just said, while looking at her African husband “do I have to spell it out? Not tonight eh?”

It doesn’t mean that the company has a racist policy, but it looks like someone has.

By now, its all a bit moot. The place has probably established a fairly white clientele and you have to wonder whether any black punters who slipped past the doormen would feel welcome anyway. I know how weird it felt being the only white face in a black club, nobody was hostile but I kept feeling I was being looked at.

Most clubs tend to become predominantly white or predominantly black without any sort of policy – its just human nature. Its a shame really. I think I have only ever been to one club (in Lewisham) which had a 50/50 mix and the atmosphere there was absolutely great.

Anyway, assuming the Bar Med owners/management are totally innocent, they should not be complacent just because there are no charges being brought: they should have a good look at their front line staff because there is no point having one policy as a company but employing staff with their own contrary agenda.

Obviously any references above to me and clubs are firmly in the past… the urge to go clubbing, which was never strong anyway, vanished on my 40th birthday.