October 11, 2006
Photographing a Secret Bar Means a Bruisin'
Everyone loves a secret bar, but what happens when the bouncers might be too...bouncery? Someone who tried to take a picture of the secret bar La Esquina claims he and his girlfriend were assaulted and threatened by the bouncers. One bouncer even yelled, "I will take you around the corner and rape you!"
He said this right before coming out and slapping me several times on the sidewalk and knocking the camera from my hands that I was using to document what had just happened. He also threatened that "in the old days you would be dead!" I can only assume he meant the good old days before a bouncer at The Falls murdered someone and the city passed the Bouncer Control Act* this August.The victim helpfully linked to the Bouncer Control Act. While we can Monday morning quarterback this all we want about the people having asked permission to take pictures (and who has sneaked a photo here and there?), we have to say - get manhandled seems to be extreme (Angelina and Brad weren't even around!). And even if the bouncers thought they were competition spies, is that any way to handle the situation?The crime my partner and I committed? Eating some Mexican food and drinking two diet sodas, then walking down a flight of steps past an untended door in their restaurant to get a look at the bar before heading home...
The bouncers in this city have gotten way out of hand and are on some strange power trip like I've never seen in 18 years of living here. They actually took delight in looking for customers to bully and assault. I asked two bouncers AS THEY DRAGGED ME UP THE FLIGHT OF STEPS BY MY WRISTS (and as I offered no resistance whatsoever) if he was a licensed* NYC bouncer, and he said yes but then refused to provide his name or show me a copy of his license. I fear for anyone who gets near these three particular guys we ran into tonight. WOMEN BEWARE. (Men, too!)
Ask yourself before giving this establishment your money who is at fault here. There is something horribly wrong with this picture, horribly wrong with New York City, when customers are ASSAULTED for no reason. We did not push past anyone, we did not threaten or menace them or the customers in anyway. There is no velvet rope. We had already been welcomed into the establishment. We finished our meal, opened a door and walked down a flight of steps. Period. We are a PhD scientist and a writer--hardly a menacing pair.
And Gothamist visited La Esquina last year.
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thats so lame that place was secret for like ten minutes. i liked it before it was renovated to look like something out of an american eagle ad so i refuse to go there.
how is la esquina still considered secret?? there are neon signs for christssake.
If that ever happened to me, my first call would be to the police right away.
Luckily I stay away from douchebag bars though.
Whoever had that encounter should press charges, the sooner the better. A bouncer that volatile is likely to hurt someone much worse in the future and the establishment should be taken to task for employing a psycho. And f*** their secret location. It sounds like they're employing wannabe mafia goons.
PHD scientists should get better treatment than everyone else.
um.. hmm.. assulted by a bouncer... CALL THE FUCKIN POLICE!
Those look like some serious bruises. Time to press charges. All the bouncer needed to do was ask you to leave the premises. Not touch you, Not touch your property.
Society is starting to get things a little backwards.
First you call the police. You get the arrest made right then and there.
Then, maybe, you go home and post about it online. Though really, you should save all your evidence and story for court... maybe tell the story afterwards.
Instead they go home with their tail between their legs and post about it online? Yeah, it makes for some good content, but that bouncer is free, right now - walking down our streets. That's not right. At the very least he should have spent last night in central.
Anyway. Someone should at the least tell that bouncer that if these were the old days, if you tried beating someone up for no reason you'd expect them to come back with all their boys and either kick your ass or run you out of town.
Well, having lived in NY..back and forth the last few years. I do have to say NYC is quite barbaric. Don't get me wrong, I love living in such a city that has so much culture and opportunities. But people get away with so much crap. Everyone is somehow out for themselves, esp those patrons, right? In my opinion, quite a high school mentaility that many believe necessary to stay afloat socially.
I don't think you deserved the abuse at all, but just bad timing.... What about the the tourist that admired the motorcycle in front of the Hell's Angel establishment. Did he deserve the beatdown and broken bone? Just because it was a location to hang out with their group.
It's good that you're voicing it, but I doubt it's gonna cause any stir. Not trying to smash this.... I mean if we were in another major city, Yes, there'd be officials involved. You lost that battle that night, move-on because you have better things in life to indulge in. That's just me.
By the way.... There's a "secret" gentlemen's /poker night around Eldridge, mostly Eastern Europeans. My friend somehow stumbled in there with a friend and got a real Russian boxer farewell. What can you do about that?
PhD scientists, what with there 'analytic thinking' and 'reasoning' and such are a menace to society. And since they typically cannot communicate in plain communicative forms (sans graphs and whatnot), who better to share their evil genius with us than a writer.
Menace, I say. Menace.
"Luckily I stay away from douchebag bars though."
hahaha
Press charges. Bring 'em down. Totally uncalled for. Also, getting the word out helps. I sure as shit ain't going there.
oh man you are so lame. you were assaulted while trespassing (do you enter any or all unattended doors you see in new york?) to go gawk at eurotrash + decor, but it was saturday night, so LaEsquina was full of B&T anyway. plus you're writer and phd, so they'll be able to afford much better lawyers.
I'm a graphic designer so I can't help anyone with the writing bit and I don't have a PhD but I do know this: that Web site needs a little help with organization (and maybe design).
(Not that it really matters, the story is the point. I couldn't resist as long as we're talking careers.)
i get worse bruises than that having sex
who the fuck would go to a club in back of a dirty mexican takeout joint? Please stay hidden for all our sakes
then allow me to introduce you to the butt end of my 1911.
"He also threatened that "in the old days you would be dead!" I can only assume he meant the good old days before a bouncer at The Falls murdered someone and the city passed the Bouncer Control Act* this August."
This guy has a sarcastic attitude. The statement above makes him sound like an ass hole. The case for Imette St Guillen has not gone to trial. I am not in favor of illegal ass Little John, he know something. (different blog) However, there are no real facts which lead to obvious conclusions in regards to what The Falls did or did not do. So the guy above shouldn't mix apples and oranges.
"We are a PhD scientist and a writer--hardly a menacing pair." Obviously that is not the case. Looking geeky and nerdy can be harmful.
Yeah, Esquina is totally over. Once you walk down there once, the thrill is gone. After that, it's just a typical lounge.
Something smells. These people were grabbed and thrown around and the cops did nothing? Is that typical? No one can put their hands on you. Or am I being naive? It's not like they are gang members or involved in the mafia. They just wanted to get a look at the bar and did not follow the "rules" and make a precious phone call first to get permission. This place sounds retarded.
if you actually read their shrill lil webpage and pdf letter to lasquina's owner, you'll see that gothamist's headline here is flawed when it portrays this like the man was tossed out for trying to photograph the bar (which, ostensibly due to its "secret" status, would supposedly be against some kind of policy). that's not what i read. it seems more like they were tossed for not getting cleared by the door man first, for going down the stairs which were behind the door which was untended. not sure if that affects how anyone feels about this case, but gothamist's shoddy reporting needs to be corrected.
i find this story hard to believe considering the fact that Esquina doesn't have bouncers - it's a restaurant. and i've taken plenty of pictures inside myself, along with many others who are there for birthday dinners, etc.
Even if they were trespassing (BTW - who the hell wants to go through all that to sit in a friggin bar?), threatening to take someone's girlfriend around the corner and rape them is a little over the top.
Agreed, the should've called the cops outright. This is not going to go anywhere if they didn't file a police report that night.
Well, surprise, surprise. Someone finally got manhandled at La Esquina. I'm surprised they didn't get killed.
I've been complaining about this Eurotrash/fratboy/B&T hellhole since practically the day they opened and, not only have I not gotten any response from 311 (a joke) or the police (another joke), but apparently the problem has gotten even WORSE. (And this after someone was murdered by a bouncer RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET!).
It's unfortunate that someone has to get killed in order for anyone to take notice, but that seems to be the reality of living in NYC these days. It's every man for himself, fuck everybody else. Oh yeah, and the cops could care less.
I'm not completley getting behind this guy either. These dweebs are out ordering diet soda on a Saturday night, then trying to scope some leet bar? They deserved to get tossed. Even his story annoyed the hell out of me, so I can't imagine what I'd feel like if I was a bouncer trying to protect the allure and profitability of the bar that pays me.
Seriously though. They serve Diet Coke at Duane Reade, and no one kicks out out of there.
yeah, it's saturday night and that usually means amped up bouncers and B&T, etc. but i've actually been recently on a sat. night for dinner and it was fine. i'm highly skeptical of this story... first, if you know the door guys, you know they're not huge bouncer types. second, it's not a "lounge" -- it's a restaurant with a bar area and it actually has very good food. third, it's not a secret as anyone can call for a reservation. if gothamist went last year - how could it be regarded as a secret? fourth, and everyone else seems to raise this, why didn't they call the cops? methinks there's another reason. i'll bet there's another side to this story...
I frequent La Esquina on week nights and have never seen a stereotypical bouncer type. I've been turned away once, but most of the time pass the hostess and make a right turn to a chorus of greetings from the kitchen staff. Show respect and you'll get it back.
Nic - You're a douche.
Check out Mr PhD's fake reviews on Citysearch:
http://newyork.citysearch.com/review/41750773
i cannot believe some of you people.....first of all, who cares if they're a phD or writer or whatever? does that give someone the right to beat them up for no reason??? and they weren't in the bar to take pictures...they weren't initially stopped at the door, so they went ahead down the steps, and then the bouncers went ballistic and beat them up and tossed them out....from what i can gather from reading their letter, the cops DID show up, but wouldn't do anything even though this was a legitimate assault...so they took pictures to document the bouncers (while standing on a public sidewalk, no law against that!!) and the bouncer ran after him, broke his camera, and roughed him up some more and threatened to rape his girlfriend....how horrific! scary that such violent bouncers and the police were in cahoots...so to all of you morons who don't read things thoroughly, the cops WERE involved, they weren't taking pics at the bar to begin with, they didn't trespass, and they were badly roughed up and no one did anything about it...and all you people can say is that they were lame for drinking diet cokes???! and you gothamist reporters are just about as bad as the police by totally giving a wrong slant to the story...at least read their letter and get your facts straight!!!
Thanks for the link to his photos of the "bouncer".
This place sounds like a shithole. they better watch out.
what a fucking tool.
if i were assaulted, i'd call the police, not put up a website.
I'm on the bully bouncers side: all obnoxious photographers who think they're doing something noble by nosing around and taking pictures of things of people and "secret places" without their permission need to get the shit kicked out of them good.
"han", you're so stupid...they did call the cops who did nothing! and "another hater" you're dumb too...if you even bothered to read their version of the story (and not the gothamist's erroneous reporting) they weren't nosing around and taking pictures in the first place....
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