In the face of yet another late night shoot out it’s time to bid adieu to the last black dance club in Westport.
That would be America’s Pub, the scene of 24 year-old Brian Euston’s demise last fall. Failed Westport black club Karma closed quietly three weeks back. And speaking of failed nightclubs, neither America’s Pub nor Karma were originally designed to attract black clientel.
They switched to an urban theme after efforts to attract white patrons failed.
The KC Star had a tiny brief on the shootings that went down at 2:30 AM Sunday (really Saturday night). Three were shot and wounded, all blacks, even though the overall violence in Westport is down.
Now Westport must once again try and mount another a PR comeback.
It’s pretty obvious that to end all this Westport should close America’s Pub.
Because Westport is down to just one club that has constant violence around it, the Pub.
KCMO police don’t want to and/or can’t just throw manpower at the area to try and fix this problem. As I wrote last month, the only possible solution would be to double cops on the street in midtown from 11 pm to 4 am weekends. And this is just not gonna happen.
Put the cops in problem spots? Also a no-go.
Profiling seems unlikely, so it’s down to this, move the clubs that have this type of crowd out of the area.
Hip Hop is finally falling off with young blacks, so that’s a help. Kansas City has a large number of young urban types who just don’t have the education or jobs to move forward and away from violent acts. It’s now three decades of this crap.
And it’s half killed Westport and surrounding areas.
There is a place for these troublesome folks; it’s called the east side.
Let them experience this sort of club action in their hoods with more police to watch the problems. As one Westport owner says, "Having cops is a must at the bad boy clubs, working the door and watching for trouble."
But again, this seems to be a no-go. Too bad. Why not let the violent people hang out together in that part of KC?
Wherever else they go it sparks shootings and death. And it’s been like that for 30 years. The proof is l00%. Is that racism?
No, it’s reality.
Look, I ran the top urban dance club in town for 10 years. It was tough work and no fun. We had major security and police help. We had no shootings or stabbings in the club. But again – boy – it was tough work.
I’ll state the old cliche here, "Some of my closest pals are of color. Like Ted McKnight, Jimmy JJ Walker and Michael Winslow. And P.S., they agree with me.
It’s embarrassing to them and others to see this violence each week here and across the nation.
Hey, I would be the first one to stand in line and pick up a weapon to STOP ANYONE FROM trying to harm Black Americans because of race or color. That’s not the point of this issue. The Hip-Hop and gang mentality, the GANGSTA creed is what causes the killings and shootings. They thnk its cool. It’s not.
The mafia guys kept their neighborhoods safe for the most part. I don’t remember shootings and stabbings at their clubs – not to civilians. Yes, I know about River Quay in the 70’s, that’s not the same thing.
It has to end. Westport can be turned around. These clubs can be turned into fun nightspots again. Not hip-hop dance clubs that usually – in fact l00% of the time – breed violence.
America’s Pube….
was always good for some fishsticks on the dance floor at the end of a long night.
Disturbing Glazer
Craig you say you are not racist right. What do you call this artilce? Move the niggers outta westport? Thats what you are saying my friend. That’s racist. When a black guy does something wrong we are niggers! When a white does, he made a mistake. Glazer go F yourself, hows that.
You Are A Prejudice Pig
Yeah, you Glazer. Once a cop always a cop I say. And they are all pigs, like you. Oh we don’t deserve a night club, huh. We ruined Westport. You white people ruined it by going downtown and out south. We were the ones spending money in your damn clubs. So this is our thanks,GET OUT. I hope we do so you white pricks go broke.
Leave Craig Alone
Hey I am black, and Craig is kinda right. I know we just can’t behave right too much. I am scared to go to all black clubs, cause they crazy and have guns. So don’t blame Craig, he is ok for a white man. He was always pretty nice to me and my mom. Now Craig I stood up for your butt, get off mine on Johnny Dares/ Please.
HERES THE REAL PROBLEM…
Its not the dance clubs…its not that they advertise on kprs….its the whole
mentality of black america. I will not be shy….the violence of blacks on blacks is
out of hand. someone must step in to stop this continuous donwslide of black
america.
i watched lockdown on msnbc and almost all the convicts are young and black.
I noticed them say that most are in for drugs. What a mess and someone needs to clean
it up.
With the government cutting back on financial help to lower income americans…(medicaid/
housing/education) this problem will only get better.
We don’t need any more money thrown at this problem. Its too late. the damage is
already done.
It’s time for america to realize that asn entire generation of blacks have been lost in our society.
Its time to stop wasting money and move the military/national guard/all police and law enforcement
on a state adn local level to stop this black crime wave.
Nothing will change til the attitude of black americans changes. You can sugar coat it glazer all you
want….you and your fellow bar owners don’t want blacks in your business…and if you let them in
or they start coming your business will go down hill.
Stop fooling everyone…this problem will not go away. Watch oak park and its slide. See whats happening
out there…see the gangs and the tough blacks starting to move into joco.
What can be done…nothing until we as a nation wake up.
Blacks and hispanics will soon beomce the majority in this nation. I read where its about 10-15
years away. In california…texas…florida….arizona…blacks and hispanics aregrowing at double digit
growth.
We need to crack down on these hoodlums who are worse than any foreign terrorists threatening this
nation.
Crime is rampant…black on black crime is increasing….we must have leadres who will take care of this
problem and rid our communities of the fast moving crime wave.
Noone wants to talk about it. they will be called names….shutting the urban clubs in westport only means
the problems will move elsewhere.
We need a new direction in america against crtime…whatever it takes….whatever resources it
requires…we have no choice….
The answers are hard and difficult be someone has to take the first step.
we are headed to a very bleak future.
Hearne You Suck, Again
You won’t let it go, the death of Brian. I told you man, he didn’t even get killed in westport. You are a liar. So is glazer you both work for Nigro.
More advice on this problem…
Its now time for black americans to clean up their own house. No fed program and no tax dollars will
change the attitude in black america. We’ve seen that doesnt work.
Its got to come fomr within the community. Alvin Brooks is a great example of a man who has
tried to combat the violence. but it never ends.
some day and hopefully soon…black america has to find the answers themselvesd….from within
their own hearts.
The black communities in major cities are in need of true leadership…new ideas to bring an end
to the senseless violence that not only corrupts the black neighborhoods but also is reaching
out into other parts of our city.
You can close down all the hip hop clubs in america…it won’t change this nation.
We need new leaders in every segment of society and to make people accountable for thier
own actions.
We can’t keep building jails or prisons to house criminals…its taking too much money and the
numbers of people in prison are staggering.
I HAVE TO ASK THIS QUESTION…..WHEN WILL BLACK AMERICANS
TAKE BACK THEIR COMMUNITIES. WHEN WILL BLACK AMERICANS RISE UP AGAINST THE
VIOLENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WHEN WILL BLACK AMERICANS…AND THE 98% of them
WHO ARE LAW ABIDING…GOOD PEOPLE DEMAND THAT THIS VIOLENCE STOPS….
WHEN WILL BLACK AMERICANS REALIZE THAT NO GOVERNMENT PROGRAM IS GOING TO
SAVE THEM FROM THEMSELVES.
If you look at the italian…jewish…irish…croatian…and other minority groups in this nation who have
risen thru the ranks of society…you see they worked together within their own groups.
I don’t see this in the black society. I see never ending jealousy for those in their group who are
successful.
Don’t close down the pub…don’t fool yourself into thinking the problems will go away…until we
as a nation wake up and realize the answers to all our problems exist within ourselves and
not depend on someone else to solve “our” problems will this nation rise up again to the greatness
that we are losing.
We can’t wait much longer….we need action now!
Whoever this kellys man is, please. One word; delusional.
Oh yeah, this is not my story, dude. get a clue.
Diversity, a failed and pernicious idiom.
The celebration of diversity, beaten into us by the 4th estate and glassy eyed self righteous, sanctimonious finger pointing do gooders, is a cancer that has metastasized into a Hip/Hop holocaust of death, destruction and failure in every urban core in America.
Here locally, in Westport, it is an unambiguated failure as evidenced by spent gun shells, dead bodies, the smell of cordite in the air mixed with a heavy bass backbeat of stupidity and 2nd grade rhymes.
The glorification of a subculture of violence, coupled with the lionization of Rappers and criminal behaviour has resulted in a prison for everyone. The killers we lock up are in one prison, while the rest of us are incarcerated by cowardice, a pulsinanimous prison of politically correct speech, behaviour and thought, overseen by the exact same powers that create the original problem.
Diversity has split our country, our people and our future.
Canada, a nation of people who must have invented the term compos mentis, nearly goes to war every couple of years over speaking French or English. A conflict over the lingua franca that gets pretty fuckin nasty amidst calls for secession!!
Diversity, Protected Classes, Entitlements, the whole “Bread for the Roman Mob’ idea, has to stop, or the decline of the American empire, will excaberate and bring with it, on dubs no doubt, more murder, rape and stupidity.
People with room temperature IQ knew that the black sub culture jumped the shark years ago, but politicians don’t have the nerve to tell it like it is.
Lets go a little reductionist here. Most Americans, imo, go to work and call themselves, oh, I don’t know, elctricians, or maybe bankers, or maybe bakers and candlestick makers.
Black Americans, thanks to diversity, are black elecricians, black bankers, black bakers and black candlestick makers. The preface to every waking moment and action, is tinctured by an expectation, some good, some bad, but black is the most important part of the equation (this is a generalization, like the sun coming up in the East, there are exceptions, but imo, it is real.).
Its paid off. A built in excuse, by way of the color of your skin, for any setback, or any failure ,real (And this is the most important part) or PERCIEVED. The fully weaponized term ‘RACIST” is at your disposal to hurl at the grocery boy or the president of the United States, and this ordnance is powerful and it kills.
Diversity is a soul sucking succubus that has de fuckin nutted white people all over America, and teathered Black People to mediocrity.
Harley’s prescience is duy noted. Tony Tubbs and his ilk, feasting like starving seagulls on the rusted out, civil rights garbage scow would have you belive Glaze is a racist. Don’t believe it.
is it too late…
…to bring back the shadow?
Alarm Clock
If you get someone pregnant, you are supposed to stay with the woman and help her raise your child. You are supposed to go get a full time job, maybe two jobs if you have to.
As soon as those two items get figured out…. everything will turn around.
@chuck
Chuck, that is one of the most elegant, articulate and interesting posts I’ve ever read in any blog. Great job. It should be a column in and of itself.
Please do
Fanboy Glazer said:
“Hey, I would be the first one to stand in line and pick up a weapon to STOP ANYONE FROM trying to harm Black Americans because of race or color. That’s not the point of this issue. The Hip-Hop and gang mentality, the GANGSTA creed is what causes the killings and shootings. They thnk its cool. It’s not.”
Of course if you pick up a firearm for your noble cause, as a convicted drug felon, you’d be out of our hair for at least five years in a Federal joint. Maybe Leavenworth would let you write for the house organ, and we’d be free at last, free at last!
🙂
.
Hilarious…comment made by “Black Guys” is the first one to
drop a racial slur. Now, if that isn’t just proving everyone’s point, I don’t know what is.
Why is Bannister Mall closed? Why is Westport a literal graveyard? We all know the answers. Power and Light has all it’s rules for a reason. It doesn’t want to become the next “Westport”. Here’s a fact…..when whites didn’t feel physically threatened, they spent money by the sackful at Westport. Once the violent element moved in, the whites left, so did their money and Westport has died a slow death ever since. All that’s left in Westport now is the thug element, who is more about kicking ass and posing as tough guys with guns than spending money and having a good time.
@chuck
Chuck, that is one of the most elegant, articulate and interesting posts I’ve ever read in any blog. Great job. It should be a column in and of itself.
Hey Hearne
call your IT guys and have them fix your comment thing. Everytime I refresh my browser it reposts my last comment (in this case that’s good, because Chuck’s comment deserves recognition.
Good Points Glazer
When you are serious, I kinda like it Glazer. You made some excellent points here, we are way too PC in this town. I don’t see why we can’t be honest and the police need to step in way more than they do on this black problem mid town issue. Hope someone listens.
No Such Thing As Responible Law-Abiding Black Person In KC
I have no doubt, Craig Glazer is a racist, despite his impressive (sarcasm) list of Black friends. That being said, I agree with much of what he had to say in this piece. He’s right about the thug mentality typically displayed by many who frequent the urban dance clubs. My problem with Craig Glazer and people like him is they don’t make a distinction between the 22 year-old pistol packing trouble maker with cornrows and sagging pants and the 40-something year-old professional who is out for a night on the town with his lady friend. Craig, and people like him, see all of us as the problem and his solution is to restrict all of us to the East side.
I’m a late 30-something year-old college educated IT professional who doesn’t exhibit thug-like behavior. I prefer Kenneth Cole to Timberlands, George Benson to Lil’ Wayne. That point is moot to the Craig Glazer’s of this city, in their narrow view there is no difference between the law abiding Black residents of this city and the gun toting criminal minded individuals who terrorize ALL residents of this city.
I don’t frequent Westport, The Plaza or the P&L District (statement met with approval by Craig and his buds). I don’t want to encounter the criminal element but I also don’t want to be viewed with contempt and suspicion by people with a Craig-like mentality because of the color of my skin. That being said, some of Craig’s points are valid. There are a lot of irresponsible young Blacks in this city who feel the laws don’t apply to them. They’re the same ones who claim racism and police brutality when they’re caught breaking the law. I’m not comfortable saying that because I believe part of Craig’s solution is to profile ANY Black face seen in an area where he feels we shouldn’t be and have that individual removed, regardless of whether they’re causing trouble or not.
Segregating the criminal element on the East side of town won’t solve all of Westport’s problems. There will still be DUIs, there will still be assaults, there will still be sex crimes… but there won’t be any Blacks so I suppose at that point we can consider the problem solved. I look forward to the day when Craig and his buds join the rest of us in the 21st century. Until then, you can have Westport, The Plaza and the P&L District. I will never set foot in any of these areas (met with enthusiastic applause by Craig and his buds..).
Thanks Craig.
Craig
Craig you are on point. I hope they do shut the Pub down. I will gladly put a more appropriate bar in it’s place. One that will improve Westport. Westport is getting a bad image due to that place, enough is enough.
Close it down and you and I can put some fun back into Westport with a well deserved Comedy Club / Sports Bar.
To hell with those gun toting urban thugs. They all become “babies” when they get to the Joint. They are not so tough when following their daddy’s around on the Yard.
ABSOLUTLEY CORRECT
Craig,
First of all THANK YOU for writing a story about what every one in KC is thinking but doesnt have the balls to write.
America’s Pub is the root of ALL problems in Westport. It is a 100% fact that the majority of all violence runs through that location. BUT WHY THE HELL IS IT STILL OPEN????
Is it because we are trying to be politically correct? Non-racist? WHY????
The clientel that frequent this spot clearly are not responsible enough to be in public, much less DRINKING in public.
Take their “club” away and send their asses back to the east side!
Tyson You Are Wrong
First off Tyson, I see your point. I am not a racist, just sick to death of young black people causing 90% of the violent crimes here and across the nation. You know it and so do I. Nobody wants to say it, I did. However my take on men and women like you is exellent. You deserve better. No I don’t think you should be kept out of ANYWHERE. If thats how it sounded I am sorry truly. That is not correct. You can move next door to me anytime friend. You clearly are a sharp educated black man. These thugs screw you up the most. As well as handed out College degrees to black pro athletes who have no, I repeaat no education what so ever, you hear them on radio/tv daily and it makes you wince. Me too. There is no quick fix to this, it will take time, education, better family values that you and people like you already have. If the majority or even more black Americans were like you sir, there would be no problems. But they are not.
I was not really kidding about my close friends Ted, Jimmy and Michael. My wife, when I was married and I travel across the nation and even on out of the country trips with the Winslows. I love them, they bring their sons with us. They are black and they are great. Why? Like you they are educated and like me sick of being type cast with young hateful black youths that only believe in trouble to be cool. They too want it to stop. JJ Walker asks me NOT to advertise on black radio cause he doesn’t want “those types” at his show, thats hip hop radio not jazz,blues or well you get it. So no I am not a racist. Never was. I am a realist. More of us should be instead of democrat or republican. I again am sorry if this made you feel bad. IT IS NOT AIMED AT PEOPLE LIKE YOU OF COLOR WHO ARE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS. Hey we all make mistakes, god knows I have, been to prison you know the story. So you say who am I to say these things, I know them best. So do you. One day we will all be brown and problem solved. But until then we have a big problem to deal with. I know it hurts and again I am truly sorry that a good man like yourself has to hear this crap, cause you and black men and women like you are the best of us.
Confused
I’m trying to reconcile Glazer’s championing of “business rights” when it comes to Bill Nigro’s “We got a right to own bars with smoking” campaign with his call to close down a Westport bar because it attracts the wrong color of people. Does America’s Pub also, as business owners, have rights? If so, who are you to tell them what kind of customer they can or cannot serve?
Wrong
“I am not a racist, just sick to death of young black people causing 90% of the violent crimes here and across the nation. You know it and so do I.”
Ummmm, no I don’t know it. But feel free to pull whatever statistics you want out of your hindquarters.
As for “I am not a racist . . .” I am reminded sentences that beging with “It’s not about the money . . .”
A site named Photoshop Killer can expose PSed images! I just Googled an image which was photoshopped and then uploaded it to pskiller.com. The forensics analysis started just after I clicked the submit button and detailed information was shown then. The result was correct.