U.S. Alleges Racism at Dominican Club

[gmalet]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic said Tuesday it has barred its staff from a nightclub that it says discriminates against black U.S. citizens.

Acting embassy spokesman Rex Moser said a black American woman was with U.S. Marines and embassy interns when a doorman at Santo Domingo's "Loft" club denied her entry on July 22.

Moser said the doorman told the woman she could not come in because she was wearing her hair in braided corn rows.

"This happens repeatedly and it happens to the African-American members of our staff," Moser said. "It was time to act."

The club's owner, Ray Santos, said the doorman's decision was not based on race, but that he fired the worker on Tuesday. Santos also said he would apologize and request a meeting with U.S. Embassy officials.

"We have no preference for (skin) color inside the club," he told The Associated Press. Santos added that the club's doormen were told to limit the crowd's size after a May shooting in which three people were killed.

In 2005, U.S. officials met with Santo Domingo club owners to address similar allegations of discrimination.

Though the vast majority of Dominicans have some African ancestry, light skin and straight hair are prized, while people with darker skin - especially those from neighboring Haiti - often suffer discrimination.

[Beads]

Hrmm normally people are in business to make money. If you have a problem with someone previously causing a problem you bar them. If people come in and aren't spending any money you make a cover charge or force people to buy drinks to come inside.

[MisterPink]

http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/188802.html

http://www.listindiario.com/app/article.aspx?id=22715

http://www.usemb.gov.do/nprensa/Discoteca_Loft.htm

There was also a thread on this on DR1 last week.

mp

[Deniro]

Hrmm normally people are in business to make money...

the problem is that in most 3rd world countries White is associated with money and wealth, and Black is not. if the club owner has a limited space in his club i guess he'd rather have more white costumers in hopes that they have more money and that they'll spend more money.

you see how whenever some charity is sending help to an African nation they always send white people to distribute the goods. when you see charity infomercials on TV you always see white people surrounded by black kids and they're giving them food and candy. you noticed how almost all senior politicians in the DR government are of lighter skin complexion, and not to mention large business owners who all come from Spanish (lighter skin) families. sad but true.

[init4ass]

I wonder if that Dominican doorman has relatives in NYC that drive taxi cabs at night?

[ykg3000]

Where is this club in santo domingo located?

[JuanElGriego]

I've walked to Classico with dark-skinned local guys i hung out with and i walked right past security while they stopped the locals and patted them down. The locals must have been used to it cuz they just laughed it off.

[David Smash]

This doesn't surprise me one bit. Racism is bred through ignorance and not to be harsh against Dominicans but in DR they can be some of the most ignorant people on the face of the earth.

[MrHappy]

Where is this club in santo domingo located?

It's on Tiradentes right after the Naco shopping center. It used to be a Churches Fried Chicken.

They very definitely have a racist policy. Another is Praia.

Screw em, they're not getting any of my money.

[Mr Mil]

the problem is that in most 3rd world countries White is associated with money and wealth, and Black is not. if the club owner has a limited space in his club i guess he'd rather have more white costumers in hopes that they have more money and that they'll spend more money.

you see how whenever some charity is sending help to an African nation they always send white people to distribute the goods. when you see charity infomercials on TV you always see white people surrounded by black kids and they're giving them food and candy. you noticed how almost all senior politicians in the DR government are of lighter skin complexion, and not to mention large business owners who all come from Spanish (lighter skin) families. sad but true.

This tells us that the images we see in our daily lives (tv, mag, news pap, posters) affect our thought process, and influences out daily approach to life, and should not be "taken for granted"

[prtyr2]

Yep back when Trio was the "in" spot they were racist as well. I went once, saw how racist they were and vowed they would not get a single centavo of mine. . . .and they haven't. I am happy to see Trio fall from being the in place to being a hooker hangout! They still aint getting a dime from me.

[FernieBee]

Racism (and classism) are still ugly parts of life. Just take a look at Mexican novelas, for example: Most of the leading actresses and actors look white/European. It's a rare occasion when you don't see some darker-skinned Mexican in the role of a hard laborer or domestic worker (i.e. maid or cook).

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[blacksultan]

Racism (and classicism) are still ugly parts of life. Just take a look at Mexican novelas, for example: Most of the leading actresses and actors look white/European. It's a rare occasion when you don't see some darker-skinned Mexican in the role of a hard laborer or domestic worker (i.e. maid or cook).

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I have never seen a negro in a novella.

[JuanElGriego]

Racism (and classicism) are still ugly parts of life. Just take a look at Mexican novelas, for example: Most of the leading actresses and actors look white/European. It's a rare occasion when you don't see some darker-skinned Mexican in the role of a hard laborer or domestic worker (i.e. maid or cook).


My mother's Ecuadorian friend explained this phenomenon to me. She said the people watching these novellas are almost always the indigenous Mexicans or what have you, and that the tall, white, straight haired Blanca
women are exactly what they want to see because for them the novellas are an escape from their shitty lives and a chance to sit and day-dream about possibly being one of those women they watch every day. If those women were replaced with women that looked liked they do, they'd never watch.

Me, i just think people are crazy. Darker women (even Asian women) want to be white skinned while white women roast themselves to get a little color. Big butt women get lipo and small butt women get ass implants. Black women straighten their hair and white women go to the Caribbean and get corn rows. Funny, ain't it?

[FernieBee]

...the people watching these novellas are almost always the indigenous Mexicans or what have you, and that the tall, white, straight haired Blanca
women are exactly what they want to see because for them the novellas are an escape from their shitty lives and a chance to sit and day-dream about possibly being one of those women they watch every day...

These people, who aspire to be something they cannot be (i.e. taller and whiter), are victims of the Colonial mentality.

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[brovo35]

A beautiful mexican women who was the Quality rep for her manufacturing facility and drop dead gorgeous ( she literally had the men in one US manufacturing plant we were in stopping in their tracks and halting production as she went from line to line) told me that she was not considered beautiful by those she was around most frequently in mexico because in her word" They want the women with lighter skin and hair. I told her to move to the US and she would be a star.

[Pana]

I wonder if they would deny acess to these guys if they showed up if they where not known Baseball Stars and have no money what so ever humm.........
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/grp_edr_cf_ortiz.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/lg_Rumbo20a20Las20Grandes20Ligas.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/28942498_AlfonsoSorianoAutographSes.jpg

[ajax718]

Another example of racism in DR. I have a female Dominican friend who was born in the US, educated, light skinned, and speaks English without an accent. Last year she made reservations for herself and her Dominican family members at a resort in Puerta Plata. When she got there and the resort people saw Dominicans show up, even with intention of speding $4000 for the rooms, they were denied entrance due to a bullshit madeup excuse.

The one time I went to a resort in Puerta Plata for two days, it was completely filled with pale white skinned gringos, (and on top of it most of them were British). Picture sitting in a resort filled with hundreds of Weylands?? It was a nightmare.

[blacksultan]

I wonder if they would deny acess to these guys if they showed up if they where not known Baseball Stars and have no money what so ever humm.........
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/grp_edr_cf_ortiz.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/lg_Rumbo20a20Las20Grandes20Ligas.jpg
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h242/Panabklyn/28942498_AlfonsoSorianoAutographSes.jpg

No way, they are Dominicano Negro Especial. In other words, they have money.

[MrHappy]

Another example of racism in DR. I have a female Dominican friend who was born in the US, educated, light skinned, and speaks English without an accent. Last year she made reservations for herself and her Dominican family members at a resort in Puerta Plata. When she got there and the resort people saw Dominicans show up, even with intention of speding $4000 for the rooms, they were denied entrance due to a bullshit madeup excuse.

The one time I went to a resort in Puerta Plata for two days, it was completely filled with pale white skinned gringos, (and on top of it most of them were British). Picture sitting in a resort filled with hundreds of Weylands?? It was a nightmare.

Hmmmmmm, something doesn't sound right there..

ALL of the AI's in the DR have special discount programs for native residents, and expats too (with residency), as a matter of fact.

Now, I DO know they have been known to overbook, and I also know they've been known to prohibit more that a certain amount of people per room.

Dominicans are FAMOUS for trying to rent a room with two double beds, then stick 8 persons in there.

So if your friend tried to rent rooms for more than 2-3 per room, it's not going to happen.

[Don Tomas]

Hmmmmmm, something doesn't sound right there..

ALL of the AI's in the DR have special discount programs for native residents, and expats too (with residency), as a matter of fact.


I can definitely confirm this, you can find price lists at Travel Agents in Santiago, the prices are a joke compared to what gringos pay.