Utah bar refused to serve Polynesian men - East Idaho News
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Utah bar refused to serve Polynesian men

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SALT LAKE CITY — (KUTV) The phone in Willie’s bar in Salt Lake City is ringing off the hook: 500 calls by noon and 1000 by the dinner hour. The calls are angry, demanding answers as to why two Polynesian men were kicked out.

The bar, voted the best “Dive Bar” year after year in Salt Lake City, is facing accusations of racial profiling after kicking two men out without cause.

The incident happened Tuesday night, and both sides agree the facts of what went down.

Frank Maea and Stephen Wily walked into the Willie’s Lounge, where Wily said the employees “…checked our ID’s, and after that, they asked us if we were Polynesian. We said yes.”

That’s when the men were told they wouldn’t be served.

Maea says they were calm and “asked why?” The server replied that “it is my job, I can’t, or I will get fired.”

Shocked, the men shot a quick cell phone video before leaving. You can hear Frank repeat what just happened, while pointing that camera at the bartender. The short clip posted online has gone viral with nearly two thousand shares and tens of thousands of views not even 24 hours later.

“I have never been treated like that, never,” he said.

The friends are speaking out so this will never happen again. “This is wrong. Should they be punished? Of course they should,” one said. “We should not spend our hard earned dollars to go there.”

Bar owner Geremy Cloyd responded on its Facebook page:

The men say they had merely walked in and asked for a drink.

Cloyd says they kick people out all the time. “White people too, you just don’t hear about them,” Cloyd said. “Whether they are Polynesian, just got out of jail, have neck tattoos look like they are hooked on drugs, across all spectrums, not just Polynesians. It just so happens, our problem has been with Polynesians.”

The friends and cousins say bars should have the right to kick people out, but only if they cause problems.

Willie's-bar
Willie’s Bar in Salt Lake City | Photo courtesy KUTV

“I don’t know what happened in the past but it doesn’t mean everyone should be labeled that way.”

Cloyd is worried about business. He says he tries to offer great customer service including rides home for patrons too drunk to drive. He said he wants to make this right.

To the men who were told to leave his bar, “I would love to meet you and buy you dinner, shake your hand and look you in the eye and say look I have nothing against you personally, I am sorry this ever happened.”

“Even with the apology,” Maea says he “will accept it” but coming back or facing the bar owner “is out of the question.”

While the owner apologized, he said his staff can still kick out groups of Polynesian men at night if they are unknown to the bar. If they are known, they are given “special treatment” and can stay. He says it is about safety and that’s why so many people of all races come to his bar. He says they know it will be a clean and safe experience.

Despite the apology, the Polynesian community and others upset over the situation are talking online about meeting in mass and dropping in on the bar.

Follow Heidi Hatch on Twitter @tvheidihatch for breaking news, updates and more.

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