New dress code at Halifax nightclub sparks criticism
Reed (Izreal) Jones didn’t have to consult the Dome Nightclub’s new and controversial dress code to draw the conclusion that black men aren’t welcome there.
“It’s not a new dress code, and myself and many other black men have been the victim of it,” said the Dartmouth-based poet and filmmaker. “I haven’t gone to the Dome in a good six or seven years, but it was the same dress code back then.
“They’ve always targeted hiphop apparel. It’s a racist tactic to keep black men out of their establishment. But they’re not the only bars in the city that do it. It’s done everywhere.”
The Halifax nightclub has drawn heavy criticism since launching its new dress code on Facebook last week.
The dress code bans bandanas, basketball jerseys, “loose fitting baggy/sagging jeans,” goldcoloured boots and “over-sized jewelry,” among other items. A colourful graphic shows each piece of clothing, including what appears to be women’s underwear, with the heading: “We Have Upgraded Our Music Content, Safety and Crowd.”
Jones said the last time he went to the Dome, he was turned away from the dance bar twice on the same night. He said he was wearing a baggy white T-shirt on the first occasion and a plaid buttonup shirt the second time.
El Jones, Halifax’s former poet laureate and current chair of Mount Saint Vincent University’s women’s studies program, agrees. She said she sees an equally sinister side to the ban.
“They can’t outright say, ‘We don’t let black people into our club,’ because that would be illegal,” said El Jones. “But what they do is create a gate-keeping procedure, a dress code being one. So it’s coded: bandanas, baggy clothes, gold chains aren’t allowed. They say the practice isn’t discriminatory, it’s about creating a classy place.
“The irony of that is they’re playing the hottest black music in their clubs, music created by black people wearing the very same clothes, who create the very same fashion, that they then tell us they are too low-class to attend their institution.
“If you don’t have black people in there, then stop profiting off of black culture.”
Alex Elshimy, vice-president and chief marketing officer of Grafton Connor Group, a company that owns several bars in the city, including the Dome, said the changes were a result of several improvements that were born out of a customer survey.
In an email, Elshimy stated the changes were made to make the bar a more upscale venue, including a zero-glass policy and professional training for security.
“We are investing in excellence of guest service and excellence of guest experience,” the email stated. “This is what our guests want and this is what we are giving them. This is not about racial preference. I am the VicePresident of Bars Operations of this Company and I am a minority.”
But El Jones isn’t buying it. “Just because he’s a minority doesn’t make it any less of an anti-black policy,” she said. “It’s all male clothing. Of course, they want women in there wearing skimpy clothing. Again, what’s the idea of respectable? They would like women wearing seethrough clothing and tight skirts.
“That’s what it’s about, attracting scantily dressed women and having the men come. This is a bar that has a reputation of brawls, many incidents of overly excessive drinking. The list goes on. You would think these would be their priorities, providing a safer atmosphere for a drinking culture, creating a culture where women can feel safer going out.”