Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

5:46 p.m. • 5-23-13

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Fri: Partly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 74° F
  • Sat: Clear.
    • Hi: 72° F
  • Sun: Partly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 75° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image

Published: 2012-06-26 18:55:00
Updated: 2013-05-10 17:19:20

Bar manager served criminal summons over discrimination claim


Todd Chriscoe
Todd Chriscoe
print friendly

A Raleigh man who claims he was physically removed from a downtown bar because he is black has filed a complaint against one of the bar's employees.

The criminal summons, issued on June 22, was served Tuesday against Todd Chriscoe, who manages The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill on Glenwood Avenue.

In the paperwork, Jonathan Wall, 21, accuses Chriscoe, 47, of simple assault and ethnic intimidation. Wall says Chriscoe grabbed his wrists, put them behind his neck, forced him out of the bar and pushed him to the ground.

The criminal summons is based on Wall's accusations before a magistrate and not a police investigation. Raleigh police say they are not investigating the matter because Wall declined to file a police report after speaking with a police sergeant who was on foot in the area.

A hearing in Wake County District Court has been set for July 23.

Wall's attorney, Alesia Vick, said at a news conference last week that Chriscoe confronted Wall in the early hours of June 17 and told him he would have to buy a drink or leave.

When Wall explained that he was waiting on a friend, Vick said, Chriscoe put him in a headlock and forced him out of the bar.

She said there were no other black customers in that part of the bar.

William Potter, an attorney for The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill, has said that Wall was not improperly treated and that he was thrown out of the bar because he was not a member.

Potter has insisted that race had nothing to do with the matter.

Still, Wall's story has prompted numerous other people who are black to come forward, saying they were also treated differently at The Downtown Sports Bar and Grill.

A rally being called "Above It All: A Raleigh Stand Against Social Injustice" is planned for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Moore Square, 200 S. Blount St.

Other patrons have come to the bar's defense, denying that it discriminates. Nightlife photos taken at the bar, including those by LazyDay.com, show diverse crowds inside.

Accusations of discrimination aren't new for Chriscoe.

In 2001, he co-owned a private club called The Office in downtown Raleigh. The club's strict dress code that prohibited styles of clothing popular among black people.

A WRAL News investigation at the time found that a doorman treated a white couple and a black couple wearing the same brand of clothing differently.

Chriscoe said back then that the matter had nothing to do with race but had more to do with creating an upscale environment and ensuring that patrons of the club felt comfortable.


357 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

View Comments VIEW ALL 357 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments.

Latest Comments
asamer, your blog fails to reveal the fact that there were other black patrons. You need to clarify why he was singled out and other black patrons were not. Might it be because he apparently just came in with his buddy to use the restroom? That is, they were not really customers?

jjordan has been to this bar 50 times even though he contends that they discriminate...hmmm

LOL Ive never been asked to buy anything or leave. What in teh world!! If that did happen I would leave and never go back. Never happened to me. Im 33 and been going out since I was 18 at Club Zone. I see underage people with "Xs" on their hands not buying anything all night. You keep failing. WHY? Becausee you obviously never go to any of these establishments. Its clear to see.

@asamer - lol "racist-ish"

http://www.technicianonline.com/viewpoint/not-racist-just-racist-ish-1.2745881

View Comments VIEW ALL 357 COMMENTS