Welcome to the Jungle

It really is hard to write about our afterparty without whining. Our guest staff were pros and deal with it every weekend because the money is so good, but I think our bar is just too different to adapt to that crowd. I am very proud of how we came together as a team to make it through the most hectic night we have honestly ever had. But I have too many stories from that night not to post.



At some point regulars have to be handled. If their girlfriends are breaking bottles and going West Side Story on each other at the bar there can't be any cooldown periods or warnings. Last weekend our bar ran an after party for the concert of a very famous rapper which was hosted by, a for lack of a better term, "black" club. In reality the crowd consisted of primarily dopeboys out to spend big money. Bottle service, 2 DJs and 1,000 people set the scene for the most profitable and dangerous night we have seen.



I was called to the bar to handle a chick fight which had gotten out of control. Two women were breaking bottles and attempting to kill each other. Their boyfriends, which I can only assume considered this normal, were holding them back so they wouldn't kill the other and have to flee the party. When I got there I watched as the host security quelled the situation letting the guys talk the girls down while the girls held shards of glass poised to use as a razor. I was content to back them up as that crowd was not fond of the "white boy with glasses". I thought the situation has settled and go to talk with my guy working the side door when a large Haitian man with dreadlocks and gold fronts throws the other girl into our ATM and proceeds to beat her mercilessly raining punches into her face. I could not sit back and let this man kill this woman so I intervened immediately grabbing him off of her. He starts elbowing me in the face and bites my forearm. I immediately switched arms into a choke and applied pressure while the rest of the security grabbed the girl and his posse as they jumped in. I am backed against the wall choking this man unconscuous while people are being dragged out. We had a huge promotional banner used for a background for couples wanting to take pictures. It was toppled onto 2 patrons fighting viciously and had to be removed like a circus tent so we could separate them and throw them out. After about 15 sec, my guy went unconscuous and I dragged him out and slammed him to the pavement in the construction outside leaving his friends to attempt to revive him. Eventually his friends got him up and carried him to his car a couple minutes later.



My orders were to watch their staff and to ensure the safety of our establishment. Their security was charged with keeping the peace since they recognize regulars and are used to dealing with that crowd. But I couldn't sit idly by and watch that senseless and obscene violence. Until that moment their staff had treated me with indifference. To them I was just some goofy looking white guy who for some reason was in charge and had got a bouncer job at a soft, white bar. After that instant respect, like a prison yard fight, taking down a known gangster had conferred on me some level of legitimacy. I had been in the jungle and killed a lion.



I look back and I still don't have the perspective on it I think I need. I have nothing but respect for their staff. Their jobs are hard and they deal with people who would never get in our bar. Every day, every weekend they operate in close proximity to truly dangerous people. But for them it is about the money. In a scene overflowing with off the books cash the hustle makes a tidy profit for them making the risk worth it. These are professionals looking to make hard earned cash for their hard work. I envy the money they make but wonder if it is worth needing to wear a bullet proof vest and go to work armed every day. Their clientele are not the go home lick their wounds and get over it type. Having been in the jungle I wonder how long I could remain a predator.



Drink responsibly and be safe,

-Polite Bouncer