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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2009 > April > 03 > Entry
Austin clubs, mall plan to close during Relays
Several popular Sixth Street businesses and Highland Mall are considering closing or have already decided to close this weekend during the Texas Relays, an event that draws thousands of revelers to Austin.
Owners and managers Thursday cited a variety of reasons for their decisions, including safety concerns, low revenue in past years and exhaustion from the South by Southwest Music Festival last month.
Emo’s Austin, a live music venue at Red River and Sixth streets, will be closed, as will Flamingo Cantina, the premier Austin club for reggae music.
Highland Mall will close early Saturday.
The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, which bring high school and college track athletes to Austin, include numerous private parties at hotels, restaurants and other venues throughout the city that draw mostly African American attendees.Police have said the event does not draw any more crime than other large events here.
A leader of the Austin chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said he was troubled by the closures.
“It’s counterproductive for us to even be open because of the craziness downtown,” said Angela Gillen, owner of Flamingo Cantina. “It’s kind of dangerous, and the staff doesn’t want to work.”
Gillen said she could not point to a specific incident that has caused her to think the atmosphere is dangerous.
“The shows that we’ve thrown in the past have not been successful, and it seems like it’s a big gun party in the streets. Folks that come to that event aren’t looking for reggae,” she said.
Highland Mall, near North Interstate 35 and U.S. 290 East and a frequent destination for Texas Relays attendees, also will close at 2 p.m. Saturday “because the safety and security of our shoppers and retailers is our top priority,” General Manager Jeff Gionnette said in an e-mail.
Gionnette did not cite specific security concerns and did not respond to a follow-up e-mail. There were widespread but unconfirmed reports of a fight there during the Texas Relays weekend in 2007.
Austin police, who are ramping up Sixth Street patrols for the weekend, have said the number of tickets issued during Texas Relays in past years is similar to other weekend events, including SXSW and Mardi Gras. They also have said that they typically do not see a rise in use-of-force incidents by police during the Texas Relays.
The decision marks the first time Sixth Street businesses have ceased operations during the Relays.
“Unfortunately, it gives this city a very negative reputation when it comes to treating and welcoming African Americans,” said Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP.
Linder said that for years, Texas Relays participants have said that African Americans who attend don’t feel warmly welcomed by Austin.
Assistant Police Chief Patti Robinson said the department will have about 100 additional officers on the street each night, which she said is not unusual for events that attract thousands of downtown revelers.
Robinson said the Texas Relays crowd in years past has been different from the crowds at events like SXSW and Mardi Gras. Generally, she said, revelers are younger and not of age to go inside bars and clubs.
That leaves many of them on the street, she said.
Robinson said she was not aware that some businesses had decided to close.
“Our interest is with the public places and the areas we have closed down to accommodate the large crowd we are expecting,” she said.
Gionnette said in a statement that Highland Mall officials decided to close because security officers the mall has used in the past “were not available.” He did not elaborate.
Bill Corsello, general manager of Emo’s, cited financial reasons for his decision.
“We’ve tried stuff during the Relays, and year after year we lose money,” Corsello said. “We get about 20 percent of our normal crowd. People just want to be on the street. They don’t want to go into our club.”
Corsello said that the Relays’ proximity to SXSW is also a factor.
“We get … beat by SXSW, and we get less than two weeks between that and the Relays,” he said. “It’s just not profitable for us. It’s a hard dollar to make.”
In past years, promoters have tried to capitalize on the volume of people but generally have failed. A few years ago, a hip-hop triple bill at Stubb’s on Red River Street drew fewer than 50 fans to the 2,100-capacity venue.
Other business owners said they are considering closing for the weekend.
“We’re going to play it by ear,” said Ali Walters, an artist at Dandyland Tattoo on Sixth Street. “We’ll be open during the day, and if we stay busy, we’ll stay open.”
The Red River Street hip-hop club Spiro’s is packed during Relays weekend.
“We cater to UT students, so student athletes come,” General Manager Josh Cisneros said. “If they come, everyone comes, from all the surrounding colleges. We will probably turn away 3,000 people Saturday night.”
Comments
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By Marie
April 3, 2009 11:00 AM | Link to this
Close up shop when the “undesirables” come to town? This is racism. Pure and simple. And it’s NOT a good reflection on our community.
By Adam
April 3, 2009 5:31 PM | Link to this
Marie—I agree. This sends a terrible message and quite frankly, the excuses from the various club owners are pretty lame.
If you’re a bar on sixth street in Austin and you shut your doors on a busy weekend strictly because of the demographics of your clientele (who are visitors to this city), you’re not doing your part for the local economy and sending a dangerous message to tourists that goes against what Austin is all about.
We ought to be encouraging and welcoming diversity in this city, not shuttering up the local businesses and hiding in the suburbs during relay weekend.
By john
April 3, 2009 5:35 PM | Link to this
marie, you obviously have never worked downtown during relay weekend. before you start hollering racism, why don’t you go down to sixth and red river tonight? walk around and see what it is like around 2am. then maybe you will understand.
By Rich
April 3, 2009 7:01 PM | Link to this
Business decision pure and simple. If you don’t make money that weekend why waste your time? A buddy who worked on 6th for many years hated the Relays cuz they would get lots of high maintainence customers and get virtually zero dollars in tips. Relay fans aren’t the Emo’s crowd anyway.
By Modlang
April 3, 2009 7:06 PM | Link to this
I can not even believe Flamingo Cantina owner Angela Gillen said: “It’s counterproductive for us to even be open because of the craziness downtown…It’s kind of dangerous, and the staff doesn’t want to work…it seems like it’s a big gun party in the streets…”
So sad that Gillen had the ignorant gaul to say such a racist thing.
Just because Sixth Street - on this one weekend a year - reverses its ethnic demographic and it’s filled with African Americans, Gillen thinks it looks like “a big gun party.” The only people carrying guns are the over-staffed police! When Gillen sees all that black skin, she sees feels fear…just what she has been socialized by television to feel.
This is terribly, sadly ironic considering that her club is supposed to be a “good vibrations” venue that supports artistic freedom for people of all colors. A racist reggae club owner!?! Well if that doesn’t just show that despite the election of an African American president, we’ve still got a long, long way to go before racism is eradicated.
I will personally be boycotting Flamingo Cantina, telling everyone I know that the owner is afraid of black people. They’ll never get another penny from me.
By Heather
April 4, 2009 12:32 AM | Link to this
I’ve worked downtown during the relay before and its an awful night to make any tips. I understand the bars that want to close. Last year I made less than half my normal income during the weekend, and I was harassed walking out of work. This year, I’m happy to be off.
By Marie is a fool
April 4, 2009 9:19 AM | Link to this
Highland Mall has had to spend a lot of money year after year on this weekend because the kids that come to town don’t shop, they loiter, fight, and cause a public safety hazard (search youtube mall, fight, Texas Relays for video evidence). This is NOT about black kids, this is about mass ****** of unsupervised KIDS - that’s right 16-20 year old KIDS. No matter what race or skin color, if kids like these cause problems year after year, the community or business owners would respond.
By Donna
April 4, 2009 12:22 PM | Link to this
So, for Angela Gillen it’s okay for those swarthy specters to tapdance for her profit, but they aren’t good enough to go see a show? This disgusts me beyond words. I was just there a couple of weeks ago, and that will be the LAST time I go there.
By Del
April 6, 2009 7:51 AM | Link to this
Bottom line is that we don’t want them here. It disgusts me how the NAACP continues to vouch for this event. Which is supposed to be a prestigious athletic event. Yet all that show up in the evening are a bunch of wannabe thugs and women who look like rap video rejects (12-inch heels/ daisy dukes lol). Have this in Dallas or Houston. Soon enough the businesses of the City of Austin will speak the truth. All you people do every year is exploit our city. Not every woman likes getting harrassed on the way to her vehicle. Great way to fill that stereotype. The NAACP must be proud.
By Trey
April 6, 2009 5:20 PM | Link to this
Racism?
It seems like it’s more racist to think that when she says this weekend is crazy in the streets that that means she is afraid of black people.
You folks have obviously NEVER been downtown during a big festival or holiday. No matter what color the folks are, the more people down there, the more problems. Ever heard of ROT?
By Who said anything about color?
April 6, 2009 6:57 PM | Link to this
The Texas Relay problems are with drunk jocks and frat boys. A drunk jock is a drunk jock regardless of color.
Most college kids, regardless of color, don’t have much money to spend, so they just do free things like walk around the mall or walk around Sixth Street.
The mall has every right to close down if they can’t afford to hire extra security for the people aimlessly walking around the mall. This isn’t a race thing, it’s about controlling jocks and college kids.
US Spring break cities like Panama City and Galveston have these problems too but most of their business cater to the immature college kid. Emos and Flamingo Cantina cater to a different more sophisticated crowd.
It is Racist for the local NAACP to act like the Texas Relays is an event for black people only. Are they saying Caucasians, Asians and Hispanics can’t run? The Texas Relays have a long history going back to the 1920s.
Quit focusing on color and deal with the real problems of the relay crowd. Again it doesn’t have to do with color, it has to do with an immature age of fratty jock types. If the crowd was only made of respectful adults they would be welcomed with open arms.
I drove from downtown to East 38th Street on I-35 Saturday night. I was almost hit by a car passing me on the shoulder of the interstate. On the frontage road, the two cars in front of me were zig zaging between lanes in formation. Then they ran two red lights on purpose! The drunk frat jock culture is a culture of idiocy. Stay far away from it.
By Modlang
April 6, 2009 7:41 PM | Link to this
Trey: The “racism” comes from the fact that the Flamingo Cantina owner equates a “gun party” with large amounts of African Americans gathering on Sixth Street. She believes that race is the primary determinant of a capacity for violence and guns, hence her reason to shutter the doors and live in fear.
I agree with you that with more people, there are mo’ problems. But she is not closing up shop on the other 51 weekends each year when 6th street is filled with people acting totally insane.
The only difference between Texas Relays weekend and Halloween, ROT, SXSW, etc. is the racial makeup of the people on Sixth. There is no increase in violence (as APD related…and the Flamingo Cantina owner admitted). And there is NOTHING to be afraid of…
I’ve worked on 6th street since 1988, and I’ve witnessed all kinds of craziness. The only gun party I ever saw was when APD had to flex to stop a fight.
By walt
April 6, 2009 9:41 PM | Link to this
I believe this situation goes both ways. On one side, I thought it was totally wrong for Highland Mall and those two clubs to close their doors. Did they close it for SXSW? The huge biker rally? or any other events? But when a large number of african americans come to town, they fear for their lives and want to play into the stereotypes of african americans. Not all of us are gun toting thugs or dressing like hoochies, but there are some. Which brings to the other side of the coin. As a people, we need to do something about the ones who are portraying this negative image. Its kind of embarrasing to see brothers walking around with their pants hanging below their behinds or sistas dressing like they’re about to go and “work the corner”. Your first line of communication with people is you appearance. We need to conduct ourselves like we receieved some home training. Hanging outside of a car window with your shirt off or dancing like stripper is not a good example of home training. Present yourselves as an image of dignity and respect. Maybe we wouldn’t have malls or clubs closing, or people fearing for their lives. Lastly, if the city of Austin doesn’t want the kids to “wildly run amok” why not have some events and activities to where they can go to? Austin is a great city for folks from all walks of life to enjoy, but I think that both sides are going about it the wrong way.
By mrg
April 7, 2009 9:33 AM | Link to this
Racism in Texas? No such thing.
By Alan Monsarrat
April 7, 2009 1:13 PM | Link to this
Calling Angela a racist is like calling Santa Claus stingy. This isn’t about color. It’s about making money & the safety of all concerned. It’s about the difference between good & bad behavior. Being black, white, brown or otherwise is not an excuse for bad behavior in public. I totally understand that there is plenty of prejudice left in America, but being rude & disorderly doesn’t help erase that at all. It makes it worse. Celebrating your “culture” doesn’t cover that. If you think it does, maybe your culture could use a little work.