Racism and Calgary

[bradco]

So I was visiting Calgary over the weekend...

I head out to some clubs with a friend and some guys he knows from work (3 of us white and 2 asian guys)

First club we go to they let the three of us who are white in no problem....then the two asian guys flash their ids and the bouncer says oh your from out of province you need to show another id. So they flash another and then its oh your under 25 you cant get in. Interesting thing is the three of us who were white were also showing BC drivers licenses and we were also all under 25. In front of us was an asian guy with three white girls. All the girls got in and he didnt.

Next club they were trying to pull the same shit. Only reason I think the two asian guys got in was a cop was standing right beside the bouncer....the asian guys were forced to show three pieces of photo id and we showed one.

Anyone from Calgary know if tyhis happens a lot? What is going on in that city? Is racism and conservatism connected?

[Argus]

So I was visiting Calgary over the weekend...

I head out to some clubs with a friend and some guys he knows from work (3 of us white and 2 asian guys)

First club we go to they let the three of us who are white in no problem....then the two asian guys flash their ids and the bouncer says oh your from out of province you need to show another id. So they flash another and then its oh your under 25 you cant get in. Interesting thing is the three of us who were white were also showing BC drivers licenses and we were also all under 25. In front of us was an asian guy with three white girls. All the girls got in and he didnt.

Next club they were trying to pull the same shit. Only reason I think the two asian guys got in was a cop was standing right beside the bouncer....the asian guys were forced to show three pieces of photo id and we showed one.

Anyone from Calgary know if tyhis happens a lot? What is going on in that city? Is racism and conservatism connected?

Assuming what you say is true I'd bet it has something to do with crime among young Asian men.

[bradco]

So I was visiting Calgary over the weekend...

I head out to some clubs with a friend and some guys he knows from work (3 of us white and 2 asian guys)

First club we go to they let the three of us who are white in no problem....then the two asian guys flash their ids and the bouncer says oh your from out of province you need to show another id. So they flash another and then its oh your under 25 you cant get in. Interesting thing is the three of us who were white were also showing BC drivers licenses and we were also all under 25. In front of us was an asian guy with three white girls. All the girls got in and he didnt.

Next club they were trying to pull the same shit. Only reason I think the two asian guys got in was a cop was standing right beside the bouncer....the asian guys were forced to show three pieces of photo id and we showed one.

Anyone from Calgary know if tyhis happens a lot? What is going on in that city? Is racism and conservatism connected?

Assuming what you say is true I'd bet it has something to do with crime among young Asian men.

"Assuming what you say is true"

Yes I routinely make up stories for no reason

"crime among young Asian men"

Yes cause only young Asian men commit crime. Lets all get together and head down to a club one night and see what race gets in the most fights....I bet it isnt the Asians

[Argus]

"Assuming what you say is true"

Yes I routinely make up stories for no reason

"crime among young Asian men"

Yes cause only young Asian men commit crime. Lets all get together and head down to a club one night and see what race gets in the most fights....I bet it isnt the Asians

I don't think they're worried about fights so much as gang fights, shoot-outs and drive-bys.

Street gangs in Canada are virtually all ethnic. In Central Canada it's mostly Blacks, in the West, Asians and Natives.

[Michael Hardner]

Oh, ok. I was worried that something bad had happened but it's clear that this bouncer had run a full slate of SAS linear regression tests on crime vs. race behind the velvet rope before he made his wise decision.

Thanks.

[theloniusfleabag]

Sadly, this story may be true. Recently, (within the last 5 years or so) the vast majority of the violent (shootings or stabbings) altercations have involved asian gangs. Sounds like the bouncers are doing a bit of 'freelance racial profiling' themselves.

To combat this, I suggest you all go to a different bar. It probably would have done no good for the asian gents to protest, but if the three white guys said 'this is BS, we'd rather not go to a club with racial profiling", then the issue may come out into the open.

[bk59]

"Assuming what you say is true"

Yes I routinely make up stories for no reason

Hilarious. I had no idea this was a creative writing site...

I don't think they're worried about fights so much as gang fights, shoot-outs and drive-bys.

Street gangs in Canada are virtually all ethnic. In Central Canada it's mostly Blacks, in the West, Asians and Natives.

Is there a source for your information? Any website or news article or anything that supports these generalizations about the ethnic makeup of gangs? Any crime stats on how prevalent gang fights, shoot-outs and drive-bys are in Alberta? Or anywhere in Canada?

[Michael Hardner]

It doesn't matter. There was an Asian arrested in BC so it's all ok for people to discriminate now.

Sigh. If the people posting this stuff weren't so intelligent I'd be less befuddled by this stuff.

[Remiel]

This is exactly why the girl from CBC went to Glasgow, which I pointed out in my thread on " The Most Violent City In The Developed World " ...

[geoffrey]

See lots of Asians in the bars, did you give the bouncer attitude, were you dressed appropriately? I'd gladly show you tons of bars here that'll glady take Asians if they aren't looking like thug gangsters.

It's a private business and if they think that inviting them in would cause unneccesary risk to their patrons, so be it. I feel safer when clubs are more selective?

Where did you try to go?

[Michael Hardner]

Restaurant owners in the southern US used a very similar argument when opposing the civil rights act of the early 1960s.

[Charles Anthony]

Is racism and conservatism connected?

How subtle....

You have it all wrong, dude. It is racism and oil that are connected. There is also a connection between racism and stampedes.

[Led Boots]

Before I responded to this thread I thought I should first talk to a close friend (Chinese) who has kids in their early 20’s that visit the local clubs. He was surprised at what I told him and claims that his children have not experienced any problems of this sort but have experienced general racism in the form of name calling and stereotyping.I then asked him how he feels about Calgary in general. Is it more racist than other Canadian cities (he and his family have lived in Toronto, Hamilton and St. John’s), less racist or about the same? His answer was that racism exists everywhere he has lived in Canada. Very sad.

What should be pointed out is that there is a problem in Calgary with gang violence. It should also be pointed out that much of this is facilitated by bike gangs that are predominately white. Asian crime gangs in Alberta control the organization of grow operations and the bikers control the distribution.

Cite

While I find the experience of the threads author to be disturbing, I don’t see what it has to do with conservatism (did the threads author inquire as to how the bouncers voted in the last election?) and definitely don’t see it as being isolated to Calgary.

If I were to make a likewise claim about a Canadian city based on personal experience it would be Winnipeg.

I remember being in a convenience store when a group of Native Canadians came in. The store operator told them that only one Native was allowed in the store at a time (presumably so that he could watch the lone Native as the rest of us whites did our shopping). Should I assume that Winnipeg is inherently racist and this is somehow a reflection of the NDP. Of course not.

And a little trivia for those who think that we are a bunch of racists here in Calgary I’ll ask this question.

Who is Calgary’s favorite son?

Answer

[M.Dancer]

Is racism and conservatism connected?

How subtle....

You have it all wrong, dude. It is racism and oil that are connected. There is also a connection between racism and stampedes.

I thought there was a connection between Gay Pride and Stampedes?

[JerrySeinfeld]

Does this happen often in Calgary?

I don't know. Do Asian gangs commit drive-by shootings often?

Let's agree that if your attempt at a massive generalization is true, so is Argus's.

[geoffrey]

What should be pointed out is that there is a problem in Calgary with gang violence. It should also be pointed out that much of this is facilitated by bike gangs that are predominately white. Asian crime gangs in Alberta control the organization of grow operations and the bikers control the distribution.

Cite

I haven't seen any biker murders this year in Calgary, the Asians are involved in most murders in Calgary... in the least culturally diverse major city in Canada. Let's get real, Asian immigrant gangs are a serious issue in Calgary. It's much more likely that a random Asian is a gangster than a random white person in this city.

While I find the experience of the threads author to be disturbing, I don’t see what it has to do with conservatism (did the threads author inquire as to how the bouncers voted in the last election?) and definitely don’t see it as being isolated to Calgary.

Nothing to do with conservatism, only safety.

If I were to make a likewise claim about a Canadian city based on personal experience it would be Winnipeg.

I remember being in a convenience store when a group of Native Canadians came in. The store operator told them that only one Native was allowed in the store at a time (presumably so that he could watch the lone Native as the rest of us whites did our shopping). Should I assume that Winnipeg is inherently racist and this is somehow a reflection of the NDP. Of course not.

Much better example. For all we know, these people were dressed like thugs or what not, I'm glad bars are as strict as they are here. Though I can tell you, most are not that strict. I see lots of Asians inside many of them, obviously it's not a racial issue, more likely an attitude problem.

[bradco]

See lots of Asians in the bars, did you give the bouncer attitude, were you dressed appropriately? I'd gladly show you tons of bars here that'll glady take Asians if they aren't looking like thug gangsters.

It's a private business and if they think that inviting them in would cause unneccesary risk to their patrons, so be it. I feel safer when clubs are more selective?

Where did you try to go?

Well good to hear its not a prevalent problem....I did find it pretty shocking and was quite pissed off about it. And ya these guys were anything but "gangster"....just typical engineering students. Didnt even say a word to the bouncer.

First place was Tequilas i think (on 17th av)....and then Cowboys let them in

and in response to people getting all upset by my comment on linking racism and conservatism...umm i thought the little symbol made it clear i was just jokin/being sarcastic.....little tongue in cheek. I apologize if I didnt make that clear enough. If I did and your responding just cause you dont like the joke than just relax.

[geoffrey]

See lots of Asians in the bars, did you give the bouncer attitude, were you dressed appropriately? I'd gladly show you tons of bars here that'll glady take Asians if they aren't looking like thug gangsters.

It's a private business and if they think that inviting them in would cause unneccesary risk to their patrons, so be it. I feel safer when clubs are more selective?

Where did you try to go?

Well good to hear its not a prevalent problem....I did find it pretty shocking and was quite pissed off about it. And ya these guys were anything but "gangster"....just typical engineering students. Didnt even say a word to the bouncer.

First place was Tequilas i think (on 17th av)....and then Cowboys let them in

and in response to people getting all upset by my comment on linking racism and conservatism...umm i thought the little symbol made it clear i was just jokin/being sarcastic.....little tongue in cheek. I apologize if I didnt make that clear enough. If I did and your responding just cause you dont like the joke than just relax.

Cowboys won't be a problem. You didn't miss much by skipping out on Tequila.

If they aren't dressing like gangsters or acting like it, I really don't find there's much of an issue with it. Like I said, I see plenty of Asians in the bars and clubs so I don't think it's a blanket racism policy. I'm sure lots of white guys get turned away as well, just it doesn't have the shock factor to make the news.

[Led Boots]

I haven't seen any biker murders this year in Calgary, the Asians are involved in most murders in Calgary... in the least culturally diverse major city in Canada. Let's get real, Asian immigrant gangs are a serious issue in Calgary. It's much more likely that a random Asian is a gangster than a random white person in this city.

No, there haven’t been many biker murders in Calgary of late but this does not mean that they aren’t a factor. The Hell’s Angels control most of the drug trade here in Canada, and after some major expansion in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s they now control most of the drug trade in the western world. I bring this up because we talk a lot about how to deal with organized crime. I believe we should go for the juggler, to me the bikers represent the juggler and taking them down would weaken the Asian crime organizations by cutting off their cash flow.

I agree that a random Asian is more likely to be involved in an Asian gang than a random white person, but would also add that a random white person is more likely to be involved in bike gangs than a random Asian (bike gangs are not known to be racially inclusive although they are more than willing to deal with anyone if there is money to be made).

Much better example. For all we know, these people were dressed like thugs or what not, I'm glad bars are as strict as they are here. Though I can tell you, most are not that strict. I see lots of Asians inside many of them, obviously it's not a racial issue, more likely an attitude problem.

As far as bouncers refusing entry goes I could get on board if the young men in question (Bradco’s Asian friends) were known gang members or had been recognized, by the bouncer in question, as being affiliated with known gang members. I can’t in good conscience say that prohibiting Asian’s from entering Calgary clubs is a good policy.

[bradco]

See lots of Asians in the bars, did you give the bouncer attitude, were you dressed appropriately? I'd gladly show you tons of bars here that'll glady take Asians if they aren't looking like thug gangsters.

It's a private business and if they think that inviting them in would cause unneccesary risk to their patrons, so be it. I feel safer when clubs are more selective?

Where did you try to go?

Well good to hear its not a prevalent problem....I did find it pretty shocking and was quite pissed off about it. And ya these guys were anything but "gangster"....just typical engineering students. Didnt even say a word to the bouncer.

First place was Tequilas i think (on 17th av)....and then Cowboys let them in

and in response to people getting all upset by my comment on linking racism and conservatism...umm i thought the little symbol made it clear i was just jokin/being sarcastic.....little tongue in cheek. I apologize if I didnt make that clear enough. If I did and your responding just cause you dont like the joke than just relax.

Cowboys won't be a problem. You didn't miss much by skipping out on Tequila.

If they aren't dressing like gangsters or acting like it, I really don't find there's much of an issue with it. Like I said, I see plenty of Asians in the bars and clubs so I don't think it's a blanket racism policy. I'm sure lots of white guys get turned away as well, just it doesn't have the shock factor to make the news.

I agree that lots of white guys probably get turned away to from what I hear about Calgary clubs from guys I know who lives there. The problem was they turned them away using reasons that should have meant the three of us who did get in should not have.

[JerrySeinfeld]

That's the great thing about bouncers - they're not subject to BS political correct rules.

In other words - if you look like trouble - you're not in. Pure and simple.

Meantime A guys named Mohammed breezes thru the airport scurity while grandma jones gets the full monty...

[bradco]

That's the great thing about bouncers - they're not subject to BS political correct rules.

In other words - if you look like trouble - you're not in. Pure and simple.

Meantime A guys named Mohammed breezes thru the airport scurity while grandma jones gets the full monty...

Care to source examples. I bet guys named Mohammed get a hell of a lot more screaning at airports than grandma Jones.

You care to drop your crusade against muslims that you seem to have. I know plently of Muslim people and they are all moderate, kind people. In fact I wouldnt be able to think of one who is not. At the same time I can think of numerous white Christians I know who are somewhat fanatical. I find your implicit racism a little tiring and it makes me feel shitty about my fellow citizens.

[Frankie]

I think a lot of the times it's not about race, but the way a person presents themselves. If a person looks like trouble, or has an image related to trouble, or even they way they talk or resond to authority can affect a persons judgemnt towards them. Like all these dumb stories I hear about Muslims being held up at the airport and checked more than other people, I don't buy it. I know what's going on, these people are waiting in line thinking, "Stupid officers, their gonna think I'm a terrorist...blah blah blah." And then get there, and they might be acting rude and talking rude or whatnot, or maybe huffing and puffing. Then the authorities decide to check them out. I have an arabic friend, who is Muslim and is actually from Iraq. He goes on vacation with his family almost twice a year, and his dad takes business trips more often then that. He said they've never had a problem with security or anyone, leaving the country and coming back. His dad is also very respectful, clean cut, and undoubtably Arabic, as you can tell from the way he looks, and his accent...yet never has he ever had a problem.

[BubberMiley]

Street gangs in Canada are virtually all ethnic. In Central Canada it's mostly Blacks, in the West, Asians and Natives.

The most powerful and ubiquitous streetgang in Canada is the Hell's Angels and their associates. Are they Asians, Blacks, or Aboriginal? I can't tell with all that facial hair and leather.

Edited February 7, 2008 by BubberMiley

[Wilber]

And a little trivia for those who think that we are a bunch of racists here in Calgary I’ll ask this question.

Who is Calgary’s favorite son?

Answer

Geez, I expected to see someone like Iginla. I was a teen at Empire Stadium in 1960 when Normie and Jackie Parker played in their last Grey Cup. Unfortunately they lost. He's sure done well since.