Race Relations in Huntsville? (Tuscaloosa, Black: work, home, invest)

[NicoleC]

Ah well that... as someone who spent a great deal of time in clubs in my youth, everyone makes the same complaint everywhere about every club. Yes, the standards change from night to night depending on who is at the door and what everyone else is wearing that night. You gotta be ahead of the bell curve.

[TomTom75]

I've never had any trouble getting into Sammy T's (all of the whopping 3 times I've been), but it doesn't suprise me that the so called bouncers are inconsistant with who they let in or not and for whatever reasons. You would think that the club/bar owners would try to make their establishments open to everyone to help grow the nightlife. That is why me and my friends mainly stick to bars with bands playing or just hanging out at someone's house and having a BBQ. I've never really been into the club thing though. About the only club scene I've really enjoyed was overseas in Europe. The Europeans know how to party. Nobody cares where you are from, what you are wearing, they are all there to just have a great time.

[Reactionary]

based on what they are wearing

That's the important part. The clubs don't like too many gangster-clothes, sports jerseys, hoodies, ball caps, &c.

Note that if you bring your own women, the clubs will let you in no matter what you're wearing...

[JFNtweety]

I can't believe that would be happening in this day and age. It's really sad!
I hope people are complaining to the management! Although, if the management is allowing it in the first place, I guess it wouldn't do any good to complain to them. People need to just stop going there period!

Jessica

[JFNtweety]

I wrote my last comment before reading the last 2 posts. I guess everyone will have a different perspective on it. Those clubs definitely seem to have a reputation though.

Thanks again for all the responses!
Jessica

[FlourChild]

I lived in Huntsville for 20 years and have been friends for decades with several interracial (e.g., black/white) couples. NOTHING was ever said; NO dirty looks, etc. You may occasionally run into the odd mouthy old woman at Walmart who'll say something, but people like that are easy enough to ignore or laugh off; it's not like a gang of Eminem wannabes is going to corner you. (Heh, trying to imagine even ONE Eminem wannabe.)

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

That's the important part. The clubs don't like too many gangster-clothes, sports jerseys, hoodies, ball caps, &c.

Note that if you bring your own women, the clubs will let you in no matter what you're wearing...

But they don't apply the same rules to everyone especially based on race. You can have the same shirt on as someone white but they will tell you that yours is too long or something. If you go by yourself or with a female and are above the dress code your fine but if you go with a group of black males there are obvious things they do to try to discourage you from going. If they do let you in they'll harass you at the door, if you already been in there for a while like an hour or two and happen to go to the bathroom which is by the door the bouncer will come over and single you out and tell you to tuck your shirt in and nobody else around you. Now mind you i'm not the one to wear "gangster" or baggy clothes. Just to test them I have a shirt that shrunk a lot in the washer I purposely wore it to see if they would bother me, they told me my shirt was too long when they were letting in people with shirts twice my size. I'm sure they do harass other people, sometimes but its much more obvious with black males. Now they aren't going to harass women of any color they want as many of them in there as possible. I've seen suspicious stuff done where i've been in line and it so happened to be 5 black males in line in a row and they were letting people in fine then all of a sudden they close the door and stop letting people in for 45 mins. At the horse i've had friends tell me they've went in dressed nice and the guy just told them "sorry we aren't letting anybody in unless you are a VIP or a hot chick and you guys are neither... and then they let the guys in line behind them in. And gangster-clothes for the most part is only considered gangster when its on a black male. I see plenty of people in there on hands turned sideways, long shirts, very baggy pants, etc. My friends are well aware of their different treatment so everytime we go we just have to go above and beyond the dress code so there won't be anything they can find to have a reason to not let us in. I'm all for dress codes but enforce it equally on everyone regardless of race or class. And its not just black people who notice this harassment i've seen numerous white people outside very upset at what they noticed to be unfair treatment toward black males saying this is 2007 and how ridiculous this was. But thanks goodness thats the only obvious racism I have ever noticed in Huntsville, and I think its really more of an effort to keep out 'thugs" from the club but you shouldn't assume somebody's a thug just because they are black.

[ScranBarre]

I wouldn't permit the way some ignorant, uneducated people view you to be indicative of a region as a whole. I myself am an openly-gay male who has faced instances of prejudice (hate mail, threats, shoving, etc.) while growing up here in rural Pennsylvania, yet I'm not permitting the actions of a view to sour me on my choice to stay here after college to strive to build a better community for everyone. I'm sure you'll find some morons in Alabama who will judge you based upon your race, sexual orientation, religious practice, etc., but for every one of them there are three or four others who will show you how friendly Alabamians can truly be and who will jump to your defense. I noticed that myself here in Pennsylvania when as soon as people realized who was targeting me, their own friends in a show of solidarity turned against them until they finally left me alone. Was the experience unpleasant? Sure. Would I let that ALONE sour me on a decision to stay here? Not a chance.

In similar fashion don't choose an area based upon "Will I face discrimination?" You'll (potentially) face stupid people EVERYWHERE---even in my own state, which is supposed to be "liberal." Hate crimes happen in places like San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, etc. as well, even though the liberally-biased major media outlets keep that hush-hushed rather well. Don't permit the actions of a few to overshadow the good of the many. Best of luck in your relocation!

[Reactionary]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

If you go by yourself or with a female and are above the dress code your fine

So no problem. You obviously know the rules on how to get in.

they close the door and stop letting people in for 45 mins

Fire Code. Note that there is a Fire Code exception for hot chicks. Also crowd control / ambience / etc. Bouncing is an art...

I think its really more of an effort to keep out 'thugs"

Thugs are bad for business, start fighting and stabbing and shooting, and threaten the clubs existence (many bars / clubs have failed because of thug crowds). If a black male doesn't want to be screened out because he looks like a thug - he should dress better and act right and bring women. Or go to a different bar.

You've already noted that black males can get in clubs without problems, so race isn't the issue. Dressing and acting like thugs is the issue.

[rnc76]

I know a couple black guys who are regulars at Sammy T's. The difference is they don't dress like idiots. Sorry, but if a 170lb guy is wearing an XXXL shirt and pants with a 40in waist, he looks like an idiot. Club owners have a right to have a dress code, I just hope they apply it consistently regardless of race. This sounds like a case for the WAFF Investigators!