A Boston bar is being sued by the state's Attorney General after some patrons accused the pub of implementing a whites-only policy. M...
Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley is taking legal action against Peggy O'Neil's, saying Monday that the watering hole has engaged in "a pattern of not allowing customers of color to enter and use the bar."
The Boston Globe reported that in December that two African-American men were refused at the door when they were trying to get in for a white friend's birthday party.
The birthday girl tried to intervene, but according to the report, Caron O'Neil, the bar's owner, refused to let the guests come inside - as 10 white customers were let in.
When they asked how much it would cost to get in, they were told "$10 or $15," the Globe reported.
That's when, the men say, O'Neil came out and asked if it was their first time there.
When they said it was, O'Neill replied "We don't want any trouble tonight. I don't know you guys, and you should try to find another place to go."
Later that night, she allegedly told another group of black patrons "We don't like people of your kind here. We've been doing this for a while and it's been working fine and we don't want any problems. . .I'm not letting you people in."
Coakley's suit seeks monetary damages, civil penalties and a request that the staff go through anti-discrimination training, WBZ-TV reported.
"I'm sure it will all clear up," O'Neill told the Globe.
The bar, which has been operating in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood since 1963. It's named after the family matriarch, Margaret "Peggy" O'Neil, who died in May, the Globe said.
On the review website Yelp.com, patrons called the pub a great dive bar.
"Love Peggy O's! Great people, food and best DJ around!" one user wrote.
But when news of the allegations emerged, people quickly wrote that they wouldn't be taking a bite out of the bar's famous steak tips.
"This place is racist," one user wrote. "No thank you."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/08/16/2011-08-16_boston_bar_peggy_oneils_sued_for_not_allowing_black_patrons_in_owner_denies_accu.html#ixzz1VGi9kyjG
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