Panel Finds Bias at Castro Bar
Owner Denied Entry to Black Patrons, Commission Reports

A Castro bar owner discriminated against African American patrons and job applicants in violation of local anti-discrimination laws, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission has found.

After a 10-month investigation, the commission reported Tuesday that Les Natali, the owner of the S.F. Badlands bar, had referred to African Americans as "non-Badlands customers" and had denied them entry by requiring them to show multiple forms of identification and by inconsistently applying a dress code and a "no bag" rule.

The commission also found that Natali discriminated against African Americans in his hiring practices, though he increased his staff's racial diversity after the anti-racism group And Castro for All filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in June.

"It's a complete validation of the experiences that were shared by many of the people (who testified before the commission) and a recognition that the discriminatory practices engaged in by Les Natali was a violation of civil rights law," said Don Romesburg, a founder of And Castro for All.

Natali's attorney, Barry Strike, criticized the report.

"A lot of the findings lacked any evidentiary support," Strike said. "What we're left with is some allegations of conduct that the complainants said was based on discrimination that simply wasn't."

Because Badlands is not a city contractor, the Human Rights Commission doesn't have the power to levy fines or take other punitive steps against the bar. And Castro for All called Tuesday for a boycott of the bar, which Romesburg said would be lifted when local and state agencies "determine a proper course of enforcement action."

The Entertainment Commission, which issues Badlands' dancing permit, plans to review the report, said Bob Davis, the agency's executive director.

The same is true at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which also is investigating the bar. Representatives of those agencies would not comment about what actions, if any, the agencies planned to take in light of Human Rights Commission's findings.