MN Saloon Downtown St. Paul - Refused Service (Minneapolis, Duluth: live in, restaurants)

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by golfgal

BBB is a corporation--they really have no standing and if you are considering legal action, they won't take your complaint or they won't put it on the company profile. A company could have 100 lawsuits and still be in "good standing" with the BBB.

I'm also having a hard time believing your story in a "saloon" in St. Paul...Jackson, MS maybe, but St. Paul?

I would have found it unbelievable myself and actually wondering if *this* was happening. I spoke to the colleague who I was traveling with on business (who is white) and he says the "no out of towners" is code for no minorities. It is laughable because a) it's next to the Double Tree Hotel b) this same friend had no problem getting through the door (he was actually more ticked off than I was and wanted to see what would happen).

I will follow up with the suggestions from earlier posters regarding the appropriate agencies to notify. This is my first trip to St. Paul's and so far it's been pretty good (with the exception of the polar vortex). This one place won't change my overall perception of the city - that wouldn't be fair. I only went in because I figured I would patronize a local establishment vs. dining at the hotel.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Miker2069

I would have found it unbelievable myself and actually wondering if *this* was happening. I spoke to the colleague who I was traveling with on business (who is white) and he says the "no out of towners" is code for no minorities. It is laughable because a) it's next to the Double Tree Hotel b) this same friend had no problem getting through the door (he was actually more ticked off than I was and wanted to see what would happen).

I will follow up with the suggestions from earlier posters regarding the appropriate agencies to notify. This is my first trip to St. Paul's and so far it's been pretty good (with the exception of the polar vortex). This one place won't change my overall perception of the city - that wouldn't be fair. I only went in because I figured I would patronize a local establishment vs. dining at the hotel.

I just hate to see something like this happening here...just know it is NOT common!!....neither are Polar Vortexes.

[uptown_urbanist]

Before I read your whole story I thought "hey, it's possible that they have some no out-of-state ID policy" (people can be very clueless about IDs; I had a state employee tell me he couldn't accept a passport as formal government ID!) -- but given the place and the rest of the story, I wish you the best in pursuing your complaint -- which I hope you do, as while I don't think this sort of thing is common, it's important to stamp it out where it still exists and not to let people get away with it. Good luck!

[fwsavemoney]

This is despicable. I hope you get a resolution to this. Also, make sure you put it on Yelp, Facebook and other social media avenues. Thanks to them, the people have more power now.

[Miker2069]

Originally Posted by fwsavemoney

This is despicable. I hope you get a resolution to this. Also, make sure you put it on Yelp, Facebook and other social media avenues. Thanks to them, the people have more power now.

I've posted on Yelp and Facebook. So far the other reviews on yelp are pretty dis-favorable as well.

I'm going to notify the Attorney General of MN office, just so they can add it to their docket of information on this company.

I appreciate the sentiments and I know that is the overall feeling of most here in the city. I'm waiting for things to warm up so I can enjoy some of the many nice sites, waterfalls, streams, etc. that I've heard so much about. I'm here for about 6 months so looking forward to that.

[Thedosius]

Originally Posted by Miker2069

I've posted on Yelp and Facebook. So far the other reviews on yelp are pretty dis-favorable as well.

I'm going to notify the Attorney General of MN office, just so they can add it to their docket of information on this company.

I appreciate the sentiments and I know that is the overall feeling of most here in the city. I'm waiting for things to warm up so I can enjoy some of the many nice sites, waterfalls, streams, etc. that I've heard so much about. I'm here for about 6 months so looking forward to that.

Good for you and I'm sorry this happened- I regard it as a stain on "my town" that such discrimination happened here.

[Mr. In-Between]

I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you, but not exactly shocked. A little surprised that it was this blatant, but not as surprised as some. I wouldn't call Minnesota an inherently racist state, but there is a pretty strong undertone of racism there. I had a black friend tell me one time that he actually felt more comfortable with the racism he encountered in the southern states, because at least the racists there owned their prejudices and didn't try to pretend they were anything but racists. He said Minnesotans are just much better at hiding it, until the occasional moments that it just comes bursting out. As apparently happened to you at the Redneck Saloon.

Good luck following through on this. I hope you're able to hurt them for this in some way. Have you considered a civil lawsuit?

[chessgeek]

I am so glad to hear you have contacted the AG and put it on Facebook. I am sure that place will fire the racist guy that would not let you in and also making changes for the better in the next few weeks. If he poked a finger in your chest while saying that to you or cursed at you, you may have a civil suit. That is considered a threat. Even if not, they will still be forced to clean up their act.

Very surprising to hear this happened in 2014 in a progressive city with at least a third of its population non-white, too. This i ssomething you might expect on seldom occasions in the exurbs, but not St. Paul.

Good for you on the actions you are taking and good luck!

[emcee squared]

Wow. What a horrible experience. Best of luck pursuing this and getting the attention of the proper authorities. Situations like this shouldn't exist in the 21st century.

[Texamichiforniasota]

I think you should file a complaint with the AG and Human Rights Commission, but I had a similar situation happen at Bulldog NE in Mpls that wasn't ethnicity related. Minnesota has the most bizarre liquor laws in the Midwest. There must be strict enforcement because every time I order a drink in Minnesota, I get carded, and I'm in my mid-30's and I don't look young for my age.

In the situation at Bulldog, they wouldn't accept my valid out of state license. I was visiting two friends that live in MN who are also in their mid-30's; we were all well dressed, well groomed, and stone cold sober. The waitress said no to me, then I told her to get the manager and he said no as well. My friends said they wanted to cancel their drinks and food and then the manager went and got the book with all the pictures of out of state licenses and then said it was ok, but they would have refused if we weren't persistent.

I think what makes your complaint a strong one is that they treated you and your out-of-state white friend differently. They can't just say that they don't take out of state licenses because the liquor licensing board is cracking down on them, since they let him go in.