Brighton Heights bar faces racial discrimination charges
An arm of the Pennsylvania State Police has cited Rumerz, a sports bar in Brighton Heights, on charges of racial discrimination, claiming that it charged black patrons a $5 cover but let white people in for free on three occasions.
The rarely issued citation prompted concern and outrage from property owner Michael Fleming, who denied that the establishment discriminates and said the allegations are so inflammatory that one user of social media threatened to burn down the bar.
“This is fueled by a few troublemakers,” said Mr. Fleming, 53, who owns the land where the bar sits in the 1200 block of Woods Run Avenue. “We waive the cover for a lot of our black [patrons] on a regular basis.”
The state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement issued
the citation April 3, charging the bar with engaging in unlawful discrimination on three days in December. Agents also alleged that the bar had illegal gambling devices in February.
Mr. Fleming and his daughter, Michelle Fleming, the bar’s manager, are white. He said the $5 cover charge, which was charged on Friday and Saturday nights but was eliminated several months ago, applied to everyone.
Mr. Fleming acknowledged that sometimes white friends, family members and regular customers got in for free. But, he added, the same held true for black patrons.
“It’s more based on favoritism, not racism. People take it out of context,” Mr. Fleming said. “We have many patrons who are both friends and family, who are black and white and other. At times these patrons are not charged a cover.”
The Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement launched its investigation after receiving a complaint, said Trooper Adam Reed, a state police spokesman in Harrisburg.
“This is the first citation that we can recall dealing with this violation based on race. Normally, we encounter discrimination dealing with males and females instead of race. Usually this occurs at establishments with something such as a ladies night, when males have to pay a cover and females would not,” Trooper Reed said.
State police would not release any details about the investigation.
On at least two of the December days listed by state police, Mr. Fleming said the bar hosted Christmas parties. He said it was possible that a cover charge had been waived for groups that included white friends of his from out of town. Also, Mr. Fleming said, in some cases the cover charge might have been paid in bulk prior to the party, so patrons at the door would see people being ushered in without having to pay.
Mr. Fleming acknowledged that he had poker machines in the bar and said he would not contest the state police allegations that they were there illegally. But the matter of discrimination is a different story.
“It’s a huge misunderstanding,” Mr. Fleming said. “We look forward to straightening it out.”