Lake View Pub Blasted In Reviews After Defense Of N-Word

CHICAGO, IL — A bar in Lake View has received hundreds of negative online reviews after reports surfaced claiming the bar's owner and staff defended white people's use of the N-word. Yelp has issued a notice to reviewers warning that a 'clean up' is taking place on the Jake's Pub review page to remove links to media coverage. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 500 people on Facebook had given Jake's Pub a one star review since the controversy began.

The accusations of racism began when a woman published a post on Facebook explaining that people who aren't black shouldn't use the N-Word. The post, which has since been made private, read "Don't say the N-word if you are not black. Don't say it. Don't read it out loud. Don't sing it, Don't rap it. Don't use it when you quote Dave Chappelle. Nope. Nah. Stop..." The post went on to explain that "...times have changed..." and people need to "change with them."

The post had nothing to do with Jake's Pub, but the woman had a Facebook friend named "Hanzo Johnson," the user name for Ashley Elmore, a bar manager at Jake's Pub, according to an Eater Chicago report.

According to screenshots of the post, Elmore, under the Hanzo user name, said, "Jesus you literally hate white people almost as much as you hate yourself." And in another comment, she wrote, "Who gives a f** what color you are in this time of history...your crutch is gone, move forward for god sake."

Elmore then tagged a family member, Bruce Funk, in the comments:

Funk isn't affiliated with Jake's Pub and his comments have since been deleted on Facebook.

After commenters began blasting the pub on Facebook, Scott Johnson, the bar's owner, posted a public message that said the pub had been "singled out by one foul person," referring to the woman who made the original post about why people who aren't black shouldn't use the N-Word. The woman responded, saying that one of his staff had posted racist comments under her post. Johnson then asked the woman if she wanted to tell him where her mother lived:

Patch wasn't able reach Johnson or Elmore for comment, but in a call with the Tribune, Johnson denied that his comments were intended as threats, and said Elmore's comments weren't racist. He told the Tribune people were trying to hurt his business in a "lynch mob" scenario.

“All I’m saying is that I did not and have not and never had any racial issues with anyone,” Johnson told the Tribune. “What I did yesterday was defend my tag, my brand. … I got agitated because there were a lot of people accusing me of things that are inflammatory toward who I am and what we stand for.”

In response to the online controversy, a "Black People Meet At Jake's Pub Tonight" sit-in event was created on Facebook Monday. The event page has since been deleted.

Top image via Google Maps Streetview