Members of the city’s alcohol licensing body called for review of the entry policies in certain Madison bars, including the campus-area Logan’s Bar, after allegations of discriminatory policies were raised.
During Wednesday’s Alcohol License Review Committee meeting, Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, said the discussion on the fact that some bars are no longer accepting state-issued IDs as proof of legal age for entry is a positive step which the group looks to further evaluate.
“I’m glad this issue has been raised to a new level of public scrutiny,” she said. “This is an issue that a number of alders … are interested in digging deeper [on].”
Jack Craver, a Madison-area blogger and former Herald columnist, spoke at the meeting about recent experiences in local bars.
In particular, Craver cited an instance in which Logan’s Bar hosted a fake “University of Wisconsin Alumni” event in August.
He said a bouncer told him the bar was trying to keep out “undesirable” patrons. Craver said this event was meant to discourage black patrons from going to the bar.
“It just seemed like a pretty sad situation because whatever the intent of their policies are … it definitely is not good for community morale,” he said. “[There are] definitely some people who feel pretty left out.”
Thomas Sieger, a UW administrator, also voiced his disapproval of the bar’s recent actions, saying the situation was “simply unacceptable.”
Assistant City Attorney Roger Allen recommended the issue be taken up by the Equal Opportunity Commission, saying the commission would be in a better position to address the situation.
“The city takes this issue very seriously,” Allen said. “There are a number of conversations that have been generated among staff.”
Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, agreed with the recommendation, saying it was a pressing issue that should be addressed immediately.
“I don’t want to let this go,” she said. “I feel like there are patterns that we all know go on. … I think this could be a good opportunity for the EOC to do some education with bar owners.”
Committee member Thomas Farley said the conversation was a step in the right direction, but there remains much more to be done.
ALRC also took a preliminary look at new liquor license guidelines as outlined by Alcohol Policy Coordinator Mark Woulf but decided to postpone voting on the guidelines until a later meeting.
