Pusha T Calls Out Virginia Venue For Being Racist
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Pusha T posted several Instagram photos today challenging the Virginia Beach sports bar Venue 112 for racial discrimination. In the posts, Pusha T states that he heard someone at the Virginia Beach venue tell the doorman not to let the G.O.O.D. music rapper and his friends in and that the club was on “guest list only” access for the evening.
He posted several tweets, and screenshotted them to post on Instagram. Here’s what he wrote in the initial Instagram caption:
Last night should’ve never happened @venue112 . These “imaginary guest list” u impose on potential black patrons is a slap in the face to the Great Neck community, Virginia Beach, and the 757 as a whole. My phone has been ringing since 6am with stories abt your racist ways. A history of reviews online and on social media share in a seamless thread of bigotry involving your establishment. I will never come there again. You didn’t know me last night but u will learn everything abt me. And u will correct this wrong.
Next, Pusha took the person who instructed the doormen to task, posting what seems to be a picture of the man and a link to his account @jlinds112 with the following caption:
You whispered a little too loud last night @jlinds112 @venue112 we heard u tell your doorman, “tell them we are on guest list only tonight.” Unfortunately your other worker had already put the band on my friends wrist and wasn’t hip to your racially motivated instructions. Doormen, we aren’t angry with u. You were only doing your job and as doormen u are to do what you are told, i understand. You will correct this wrong with me, I eat breakfast in the area most mornings as well as workout extremely close by. Ask around abt me. @wtkr3 @wavy_news @103jamzradio @z104fans @hot91online
Pusha then notes that the venue changed their Instagram settings to private after he posted his comments, which felt like a slap in the face:
How dare u lock your pages before addressing this issue with the community!!!!! There are NUMEROUS examples of this treatment!!!!! You cannot mask this problem!!!!!!! You cannot run from this fiasco u created!!!!!!! @jlinds112 @venue112
Their Facebook page is currently “unavailable.” Additionally, a brief sweep of their Yelp page seems to support his claims regarding their discriminating practices, and that the “guest list” claim is often used as a guise:
We reached out to both Pusha T and the venue for comment, but neither has replied. We’ll update this story if they do, and/or if new information emerges.
UPDATE: Pusha T spoke with Billboard about the incident, saying he went public with the incident to let the community know that even celebrity status doesn’t exempt him from racism:
I’m literally typing about an imaginary ‘guest list’ and [it turns out] this is a running theme! I had no idea. The only reason that me and my friends didn’t fit the mold was because we were black. I wanted to tell people that I wasn’t exempt from it either. People may think that I have it easier in some ways, but this shows that racism even overpowers business. I understand what other members of my community are going through.
