‘NO COLORS ALLOWED’ sign outside Michigan establishment sparks controversy
Beer Belly’s Bar & Grill is known for more than its daily specials. The small bar has received several complaints about a sign it has hanging in front of its establishment.
The “NO COLORS ALLOWED” sign is meant to forbid patrons from wearing motorcycle club and gang colors, but customers are taking it as a reference to ban blacks from the establishment.
The bar received about 40 phone calls about the sign on Wednesday, a day after a video of it appeared on a man’s Facebook page and spread online like wildfire, said Beer Belly’s co-owner Aaron Stevens. The video is narrated by a male voice that says, “Look at that there, no colored people allowed.”
“Everybody’s asking, ‘Do you guys not allow colored people in the bar, or do you not allow black people in the bar?” Stevens said Wednesday night. “I keep trying to explain what it’s really about. …
A bartender at the establishment said she heard people threaten to destroy the bar.
Aaron Stevens, co-owner of Beer Belly’s told USA Today “we’re really the furthest thing from a racist bar. We have a mixed crowd. We have a lot of regulars that are African American.”
Given the sign’s context and reason for existence, is it still offensive?
Should the establishment change the sign’s language?
Sound off below!