A Boston nightclub accused of racial discrimination after a Harvard-Yale football match in November has been ordered to pay the state $30,000, issue a public apology, and have its staff attend anti-discrimination training, state Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office said Friday.
Paige Hospitality Inc., the owner of Cure Lounge, allegedly shut down a Nov. 20 event because many of the incoming customers were black, violating accommodations and consumer protection laws, according to Coakley’s office. The move could have been prevented if the staff had anti-discrimination training, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination said.
A complaint and consent judgment was filed Friday by Coakley and MCAD in Suffolk Superior Court. A copy of the judgment is available here.
“Massachusetts businesses cannot refuse to host events because of racial reasons,” Coakley said in a statement. “In this case, club staff made harmful and ill-conceived conclusions based on the simple fact that most of the guests were black. This type of behavior is the essence of racial stereotyping and it is a reminder that, despite the many strides we have taken, there is still progress to be made.”
Three African-American graduates of Harvard College were hosting an event at the Cure Lounge on Nov. 20. At 11:15 p.m., little more than an hour after the party started, Cure staff ended the event and told the guests, the majority of whom were black, to leave, according to the complaint.
According to the AG’s office, most of the $30,000 payment will be distributed to organizations aimed at helping black students pursuing higher education.
Under the judgment, a public apology for the incident will remain on Cure Lounge’s website for a month.
City Councillor At-Large Ayanna Pressley was among several individuals outraged by the incident who had requested an investigation. “This consent judgment sends a clear message to every licensed venue in Boston- discrimination will not be tolerated and the consequences for offenders will be significant,” Pressley said in a statement. “Discrimination has no place in 2011 Boston and episodes like this do serious damage to the city’s brand. At a time of historic fiscal challenges, Boston’s venues should be inviting, engaging and welcoming for every resident and visitor.”
A spokesman for the club, George Regan, had told the Boston Globe after the incident that the incident “has got nothing to do with race” and that it was a “public safety issue.”
“If this happened tomorrow, they’d handle it the same way again,” Regan had told the Globe. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”
