By CASEY NEILL
A MARRIOTT Waters teen says he was made to feel “ashamed of being black” when a bouncer turned him away at a Narre Warren club on Saturday night.
But Empire director Nick Foley said intoxication was the reason his guards denied entry.
Rodney, who did not want his surname published, was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Australia in 2004.
The 19-year-old said he arrived at Empire at 10pm on 6 September after consuming “one or two drinks”.
He said the guard at the door was hostile when he reached the front of the line with his Caucasian mate and after checking his identification said “you’re not going in tonight”.
“I told my friend to go in – I didn’t want to ruin his night,” he said.
Rodney tried to enter again when a few of his female friends arrived, thinking the initial refusal might have been ratio-related.
When he was again denied, he asked the bouncer why.
“He told me ‘if it was a Friday night I would usually take care of it, but it’s not your crowd tonight’,” Rodney said.
“Friday night is RnB night.”
He then suggested “it’s because I’m black isn’t it?” and said the comment was met with “a cheeky smile”.
“In that moment I thought ‘why do I have to be black?’,” he said.
“I was made to feel bad for being who I am.”
Rodney then asked the bouncer for his name to make a formal complaint.
“He said he’d rather kick my head in than give me his name,” he said.
Three other security guards ushered him away, and Rodney went straight to Narre Warren Police Station where a constable noted his complaint.
“I’ve made a formal complaint to the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation,” he said.
And Rodney has also been in contact with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
“I won’t be resting until this bouncer no longer works at the venue,” he said.
Comments on the club’s Facebook page included claims that guards were not allowing Islanders and New Zealanders entry.
“We got told on Friday night his excuse was it was regulars night,” one patron wrote.
Another said “you declined a Tongan friend last week for his race” and one dubbed the venue “a racist-ass club”.
Mr Foley said he was deeply concerned about the discrimination claim.
“Empire takes complaints about discrimination of any kind very seriously and we are investigating this matter with our security team,” he said.
“After speaking to our team and reviewing our security footage, we understand the man in question was denied entry to the venue due to suspected intoxication.”
Mr Foley said Rodney had been granted entry to Empire several times previously.
“However in this instance our security team made a judgement call that he was under the influence of alcohol,” he said.
He said his security team implemented a strict door policy to account for capacity restrictions and patron comfort.
“We reserve the right to refuse entry to any patron, however our decisions are never based on racial discrimination or any other form of discrimination,” he said.
“We want to assure our patrons and the wider community that we always strive to treat our customers with respect and uphold the integrity of our door policy.”
Mr Foley urged patrons to email concerns to nick@empireclub.com.au.
