FURORE OVER RISQUÉ INCIDENT
Risqué Lounge’s owner Bruce Walker has expressed his frustration over claims that the popular Joburg nightclub’s bouncers beat up a woman on the weekend.
According to Beeld newspaper, Jeanine Ferreira, 26, claimed to have been beaten by a bouncer at the gay venue in the early hours of Sunday morning.
She alleged that she was thrown against the wall and kicked while she was on the floor when she questioned a bouncer over his insistence that she pay him an inflated fee for entry and that he made racist insults.
Beeld said that the woman, who was reportedly bruised, had laid a charge of assault at the Sandton Police Station.
Walker, however, told Mambaonline that the woman has never contacted him or the club about the alleged incident and that police had come to the venue but were unable to find any witnesses.
He said that he had no evidence that the alleged assault had taken place at all and that until he had some proof there was nothing he could do.
“We have been running the club for over two years and our bouncers are not allowed to touch anybody like that. That’s our policy,” he said.
“If anything like that ever happened I would be the first to take action and help arrest the person that did it.”
Walker added that he was waiting to hear from the police on the outcome of their investigation.
that girl just wants to make trouble she must piss off now and sould never come back to the club she know longer welcome
And…. …you know this how? Lets face it there is a long history of racist incidents around entry to gay clubs in SA, long enough to keep an open mind when stories like this come up…
perhaps. I am not saying that this claim is baseless, and yes, perhaps there is a history of racist behaviour at some gay clubs, but it is also fact, and there is true history that most people of colour abuse the racism card. Whenever something is not to their liking, and especially if there are white guys involved, they are super fast to cry racism, because they KNOW that will get attention, whether it is true or not.
I am thinking that this girl caused trouble with the bouncers, and when she did not get her way, she quickly cry racism, because THIS will give the issue attention, and can cause the most “damage” to the club’s reputation, thus using it as a weapon to get back at the bouncer/club.
I have been to Risque MANY times in the two years since they opened and I have seen MANY guys AND girls of colour there, having a ball, and never, not once, did I see ANY racist behaviour towards them or from them by either patrons or staff, so I seriously doubt that IF something happened to this girl, that it was racially motivated at all.
Racism absolutely goes both ways. Not only white people can be racists, and not only white people are racists, I know just as many black racists than whites. But using racism as an excuse for every single thing not to your liking, whether it is true or not, is not doing anybody any good. Not every bad thing that happens to black people is because of race, in fact, it is black people that insist on MAKING everything about race.
many people of colour at Risque?????? I doubt it very much – Pehaps Indians yes – they are the only people who frquent this club simply because they are very much as racist as the other clubbers there and are equally into drugs as well. why cant there be a ligitimate outcry about bad bouncer behaviuor. Bruce has a history of hiring racist bouncers – just look at when he was manager at heartlands – people of colour were physically removed because they were not concidered appropriate for the venue – this is a sad issue in our society and will never be remedied in this life time – perhaps in another 20 – 30 years from now and there will no longer be a need for gay venues and less problems with racism
Yes. Yes, I’ve been there at times where there were at the very least 20 BLACK guys and girls. I remember one particularly loud group where the one girl yelled at the top of her lungs every 10 minutes, and I remember telling my husband that she is going to be sorry in the morning when she has no voice left. Just because a club is not 90% black and 10% white DOES NOT make it a racist place. If there could be 20 black guys and girls there could be 200. If they don’t show up and more white guys show up, then it has FUCKALL to do with racism.
I am so tired of being referred to as a racist by just going to a venue or function, whether it is Pride, Gay Film Festival, or any club, oh, and because I am white. I have NEVER been racist to ANYONE at ANY venue I ever went to, gay or straight, because I CHOOSE to accept people for being people, not looking at their skin colour. But every time it is the black okes counting the black faces on the pictures, and then referring to the place or function and the people who go there as racists. What utter, uneducated, unreasonable BULLSHIT!
It is like I said, it is BLACK people these days that makes EVERYTHING about skin colour, not white people, and conveniently using race as an excuse for everything. I WILL NOT apologise for being white, nor do I owe anything to any black guy or girl. I am no racist, have never been, and will never be. Most of us white okes try so very hard to be accommodating, and inclusive and accepting towards our black brothers and sisters, hell, the Pride guys even organised busses to get the less fortunate black guys from the townships to attend, trying to reach out, but still the event was dubbed as racist by some people. But some black people REFUSE to even TRY to get along with white people, so how do they ever expect anything to change.
The moment black people stop looking at colour and abuse racism to get their way, things will change.
dear Andy it is obvious that you only attend Riscue so you dont have too much knowledge of the clubbing world out there. it also seems that you must be racist if you insist on not being one – i dont think any of the comments noted so far have made any mention of you being racist or that you have to apologise for being white – the issue here is the bouncers and their attitudes – not only in gay clubs but also other so called straight venues. do you not follow the normal news or do you formulate all your opinion from Mamba alone. dont take it personally as no one is out to label you but if you feel the way you do then no one is able to help you. Next time try and dance with the black patron next to you and not crit them for being loud.
Racism. As far as I can tell, the girl in question is of Indian background – she was allegedely called by an Indian slur – and the bouncers at Risque are all black… Makes things rather interesting ne?
Racism. Ronaldo i think after your comment the world fell off its axis.
The issue is not about race but rather peoples’ general behaviour. I have been to Risque a few times and generally if there is an issue it is ecause people demonstrate a lack of respect for each other, be it fellow patrons or the staff.
Granted it is unacceptable if the woman was in fact abused but for the bouncer to behave in such a way would require a great deal of provocation.
Having been inside the place, the lady really did not miss much !!!
What about sexism?. Hmmm.. all this comment about racism… What if this was a case of sexism? Women going to gay clubs have a reputation of being badly behaved… They think because they are at a gay club they can get drunk and act like trash… Opps… have I said too much?
Did anyone notice the disgusting colour of their pool in their photos? eek… an embaressment!
hi mr that was because of the sudden stirm on friday night …which flooded the whole of most of 4 ways…ps did you see what it did to the pool at monte cacino…so be for you run pepole down find out what happend first
Leave RACE out of it. Guys and Gals,
Lets leave the RACE argument for another time and look at the fact that over the past few months going to Risque has changed verses what it used to be.
The first thing one takes note of is the general lack of up keep of the venue. What happened to the trendy well maintained club that opened two years ago?
The second thing of concern is the attitude one has to put up with from not just the car guards but the bouncers at the door. Come now, be honest and tell me that things haven’t gotten worst verses two years ago?
And just a note, but do you not think that because we as the community are willing to put up this general lack of up keep and improvement in our partying venues that the owners are willing to take advantage of it and allow the venues to become run down? Are we not going to ask for better seeing that we spend good money whilst there?
Risque, look at this an opportunity to address some of the issues at hand for the upcoming Silly Season and make your venue the venue that it used to be Two years ago and all else wouldn’t matter…
Looking forward to something positive coming out of all of this…
Cheers,
M