Pass it along to anyone who spends time in the NYC area… Friends on the night of January 6, 2001, I went to Exit to celebrate my friend's birthday party. I was with three females and one other Asian male. We waited in line for about 45 minutes. When we got to the front, the bouncer denied us entrance and refused to give us an explanation. Five minutes later, we noticed another group of Asians/Asian Americans being asked to leave the line as well. We decided to ask another bouncer what was going on. The bouncer looked at me and my friend, and explained to us that they were not admitting any Asian males into the club while the police were in the area due to recent drug trafficking allegations involving Asian males. That is why we weren't allowed into the club. I am writing to all of you to inform you about Exit's discriminatory policy against Asians and Asian Americans. My experience at Exit was a blatant act of racial discrimination and racial profiling, both violations under the Civil Right Act of 1964, as well as state and city laws on human rights. I refuse to be silent and complacent about racial injustices committed against our community. As Americans, I ask all of you and your friends not to endorse Exit for future social activities and/or corporate events. To do otherwise would be contrary to all that our country stands for If this has happened to you or your friends at Exit before, do not be quiet. Let Exit management know that you will no longer tolerate racism at the club. Send letters to the primary owner of Exit, Mr. David Saff. I have included his mailing address below. Mr. David Saff Exit 610 West 56th St. New York, NY 10019-3512 Additionally, exercise your rights by filing formal complaints with the New York State Division of Human Rights and the New York City Commission on Human Rights. These agencies are funded by your tax dollars and exist for the sole purpose of protecting your civil rights under New York City and New York State law. Only five or more similar complaints about the same instance and/or business is enough to warrant an investigation by the city or state authorities. Know that just a little bit of effort can have a profound effect on ensuring that this doesn't happen again. I have included the proper mailing and web site addresses for these agencies: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/cchr/html/how_to.html Commission on Human Rights 40 Rector Street, New York, NY 10006 Main telephone number: (212) 306-7500 http://www.nysdhr.com/complaints.html New York State Division of Human Rights 20 Exchange Place, 2nd Floor New York, New York 10005 Telephone No. (212) 480-2522 Please forward this e-mail to as many interested parties as possible. Everyone should be aware of about the racial discrimination that exists in our neighborhoods, and what we can do to get rid of it. Discrimination is the first step to a hate crime. Education is the first step to preventing one.
