According to the owners, Nouveau Tavern is the only black-owned restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Because of that, they believe, they are being targeted for racially motivated harassment, reports CBS Chicago.
Marketing executive Teddy Gilmore told CBS Chicago that the club was vandalized with racist graffiti using the n-word and saying “go home.” WGN Chicago reported that along with the racist graffiti, customers’ cars were egged.
“It seems like they don’t want us to be here … because we are African American,” Gilmore told CBS Chicago.
Supporters of Nouveau Tavern held a candlelight protest to raise awareness, but according to neighbors of the club, this isn’t an issue of race but of rowdiness.
“You’ve got multiple people that want to start fights, or maybe they had a good time and they’re loud,” nearby condo resident Pamela Brennan told the news station.
The owners of the restaurant are suing the city and the neighborhood’s alderman, Brendan Reilly, because they believe they are being illegally harassed by Chicago’s liquor-license inspectors.
Read more at CBS Chicago.