McKenzie acknowledged that Christopher Street, particularly the PATH station next to Chi Chiz, draws unsupervised and unruly LGBT teens after dark, but said that police and residents didn't differentiate between that crowd and her clients. "We have a large support group but it's impossible to fight the city," McKenzie said. Police also made a fourth drug arrest at the location in January of 2010, when two men were convicted for the sale of cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer outside Chi Chiz before making the cash exchange inside the bar, according to officials from the city's Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.Īn SLA judge's decision last week to uphold the four drug charges, which a spokesman with the agency said would result in high fines and a possible revocation of the bar's license, was the last straw - prompting owners to shut down Chi Chiz for good. The bar has had a string of citations from the SLA dating back to 2004, including a violation for serving alcohol to a minor, the SLA's records show.īut the biggest problems for McKenzie and Ray came in 2009 when police made three consecutive drug arrests at Chi Chiz in July, August and September, SLA records show. "If there hadn't been any calls, we probably wouldn't know the place was there." "It's not that we don't like it because of the patrons that they serve, it's just a tough spot," Baranski said.
He denied claims his precinct targeted the bar because of its predominantly black, gay and transgender patrons, saying the problem was the litany of public safety issues raised by residents. "It's in a problem area right next to the PATH station and, in the evenings, it's hard to get to the station." "We did not harass the bar," Baranski said. "The message the 6th Precinct sent is that we're not welcome in the Village anymore."īut according to Officer Martin Baranski, community resource officer at the 6th precinct, the reason police have maintained a strong presence at the bar on Christopher Street was because of neighborhood complaints about blocked sidewalks, rowdy patrons and unsafe conditions. "There's a double standard when it comes to minority-owned businesses and businesses aimed at minorities," Shanahan said. He claimed police unfairly targeted Chi Chiz instead of other bars and restaurants with a wealthier clientele and a worse track record, such as the Gansevoort Hotel, where Hollywood scion Cameron Douglas was arrested for dealing meth and cocaine, and the SoHo House, where designer Sylvie Cachay was found dead in a bathtub surrounded by half-empty prescription drug bottles. Tom Shanahan, a lawyer for Chi Chiz, said McKenzie and her co-owner Alex Everett Ray have an ongoing lawsuit against police for selective enforcement and discrimination.
Our Saturday Fun Run is our most-attended run, offering a wide variety of paces and distances, plus a social post-run team bagel breakfast in the basement recreation room of Rutgers Church. If you are interested in learning more about FRNY, we recommend joining any of our weekly Fun Runs in Manhattan (Central Park) or Brooklyn (Prospect Park). We train track sprinters, middle distance runners, ultra marathoners, walkers, swimmers, and triathletes. Some FRNY members race on a weekly basis - others never race at all. We welcome runners of all speeds, ages, and abilities.įRNY draws a wide variety of athletes. Identifying as LGBTQ+ is not a requirement to run with FRNY.
Front Runners New York (FRNY) is a running club for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and those who are allies.