This morning I saw a status on Facebook that one of my friend’s posted…to say that it was disturbing would be an understatement. I am the first one to avoid pulling the “race card” because I think sometimes it’s pulled on purpose, to start unnecessary drama. However, this story bothers me to the core! Right here in Washington, D.C., racism has reared its ugly head into one of the local establishments. Imagine being young, black, goal-driven, successful, goal oriented, etc. and you get turned away at a bar by a white owner, who did not want to serve you. Check out Elijah LX Harvey’s Facebook status on what happened when he visited the Blue Banana on 3632 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.:
Gather ’round, Facebook. I have a story to tell of racism, drinks and a bar on 3632 Georgia Ave, NW DC called, “Blue Bananna” Please share and spread my story. I don’t want them getting our hard earned moneyI was going to Sweet Mango, which was down the street from Blue Bananna…but it was closed so I discovered a seemingly pleasant bar. I walk in and the hostess asked, “are you with the party”
I said, “What party” she said, “Its fine, the bar is there” I said, “Sweet” I go to the bar, I see a few friends from college (who can vouch) and a group of white ladies (which were hot) at some tables. Anyway, I digress. I see a black couple and another black guy at the bar. The woman had her phone out. I’m thinking. “What is she doing” ….Then I realized, she was recording…I didn’t get it…anyway, the guy is fiddling with the remote (I guess trying to get the nat’s game). I wait patiently for service…a white girl comes up, he stops what he’s doing and helps her…then goes back fiddling..I wait some more… I say to him, “hey, how you doing, bro. Yall got any specials right now?” He says sharply, “No” and THEN goes to help someone else…I get what’s going on now.. Then the couple has the phone on me…and I realize…they are recording the whole thing and shaking their heads. They say, “It’s crazy, isn’t it” I was like, wow. I can just take my business elsewhere. I ask him again, hey bro can i order some food? THEN the black girl hands me a Happy hour menu…(he said no specials) and the white girl comes up behind me looks on MY menu and orders lol. We both LOL because she picked up on it…at this point, it’s kinda comical. I say, “Dude, you said you had no specials?” He slams the stuff down and says, “GET OUT!!!! GET OUTTTTTT” I go back to the hostess and ask for the manager…and she says she doesn’t know his name but describes him I’m like, “Aw sh**..HIM?!” So I go back up to the couple and ask, “Has this been going on a while”…before they could answer, two DC police came up. The owner then says, “All of them need to leave” …which happened to be the black people…. look at the police he’s like, “huh??” I said, “I don’t know bro, I’ll make it easy and take my leave…” The police were like, “you dont even look like you were doing anything” I told him, “I wasn’t” and he was like well, he’s the owner… So we all are outside the police was like, “What the hell just happened” I’m like, “i do NOT know bro” I’m not a troublemaker. I told him, I get that he’s a private business owner, but that’s CRAZY. The police said he’s normally not like that. I’m like…yea…aight I was SO furious inside. Like boiling! I still am…Like I’m not a vengeful type, but I want that place to go down. AND IT WILL….I will be going to the news with this. Please share and spread this story. Blue Bananna should not get our money.
Ok, I’m not sure about you, but ME personally…I would love to do a sit-in at this establishment. If nothing else, the word needs to be spread about Blue Banana…they cannot get away with turning blacks away as if we aren’t human! This story has already been spread to media outlets and I hope something is done! This is 2012 and if you think that people will remain silent while being treated like trash, you are sadly mistaken. Thank you, Elijah, for bringing this to everyone’s attention!
Danithedreamgirl 
This is so sad and disturbing, Yes racism is still around us all wether or not we want to see it or not. Stop turning a blind eye to it and stand up and do something. Yes he is the owner of this establishment and that is understandable but damn really.
Stuff like this erks me! We should be past stuff like this!
reply to the blue banana Georgia Avenue supposed to be a black neighborhood I’ll surprise that you would do that in a black neighborhood and less they sold out and gave up that Midwood 2000 easy recently I saw her no blacks working in the office buildings downtown I swear no blacks walking around why do you want to add jobs the entire city of Torrance great because it turned completely white
Please excuse the spelling words and stuff taken out of context this was dictated not typed a