Oak Forest Shuts Down Rockin' Horse Saloon

OAK FOREST, IL — A black-owned bar that struggled to maintain a foothold in Oak Forest has been shut down after city officials said it did not pay its water bill, violated other city codes and disturbed residents — leaving at least one bar owner to question whether the allegations were race-based.

"It's definitely racial," said Early Walker, a minority partner of the Rockin' Horse Saloon & Grill. "It was like they were picking on us and no one else in the area."

Walker said he did not know if the Rockin' Horse would reopen. Calls to his partners were not returned and the message at the bar's telephone line Monday said the number was out of service. The bar's Facebook page has not been updated since June 9.

Executive Assistant Jim Richmond said the Rockin' Horse could reopen with restrictions after it complied with the final code violation. He said that bar owners needed to complete painting stripes in the parking lot that designates a spot reserved for emergency vehicles.

"It just needs to have a couple of things done before it can open again," he said.

Richmond said Rockin' Horse had been closed last month until the water bill was paid and health inspectors could approve the reopening of the bar. Both have been done. He could not recall the amount of the bill or how long it had gone unpaid.

Walker said he did not have all of the details because he holds only a 10 percent stake in the business, but, he added, he and the other owners did not know there was a problem with the bill until the water had been shut off.

"We asked them for [an] updated bill," he said. "They gave us that and the outstanding fees, and we were like, OK, fine, we will pay it."

Walker said that bar and restaurant had been open under his and his partners' ownership since 2018, and that they had never been cited before. The onslaught of code violations and billing problems caught them off guard.

"We hit one hurdle, then another one, then another one," he said. "It's a big mess."

According to Richmond, city officials slapped Rockin' Horse owners with a seven-day liquor license suspension May 23 stemming in part from residents' complaints about noise and a February shooting outside of the bar. Rockin' Horse's hours were limited to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday while city officials and bar owner sorted out issues.

However, during the weekend of May 26, he said, police checked on the bar at closing time and found as many as 25 people still drinking in the bar, a violation of the suspension. After those people left, they moved to a lot across the street to continue a game of bags. The noise disturbed residents, who complained.

Early disputed that account. He said the bar was closed and employees were cleaning up when police arrived, and customers who were not affiliated with the bar had already moved outside. He said bar owners could not control those patrons' actions, reiterating that all employees were inside the bar to close up in order to comply with the new requirements.

It was after this incident, Richmond said, that officials discovered the water bill had not been paid and that the parking lot needed proper emergency vehicle designations.

Early said that the bar's attorneys are involved.

"We're going to figure out why they closed us down and we'll do everything in our power to do that," he said.