What's the "race" of the folks who go to Phase 54 in Chandler?
Nothing more irritating than reading a news story that raises more questions than it answers.
Phase 54 is some sort of dancing and concert venue in Chandler, at I-10 and Ray Road. It’s having a legal dispute with its landlord and some of the other businesses in its little suburban strip-mall enclave, and this has evidently turned into an actual trial.
East Valley Tribune story here.
The legal issue is apparently whether the place is a concert venue or a night club; its operations have apparently overwhelmed the mall’s available parking, which has turned the businesses nearby, including an Outback Steakhouse, against it.
The property owners, according to the story, says the lease doesn’t allow a “night club,” though it’s apparently allowed to be a “concert venue” and a plain old club club.
None of these distinctions are explained, so the story’s irritating to read.
But even that’s the the big question raised. That comes in this passage:
On Tuesday, Gama found that a transcript of a taped conversation from an Outback [Steakhouse] manager complaining about the race of club patrons will not be allowed in the case. He said it would create confusion for the jury.
Jon Harris, Phase 54’s owner, said that the real reason the restaurants don’t want the club to stay open is because they’re concerned by the racial background of club patrons.
Shouldn’t the paper tell us what race we’re talking about here?
Asians?
Hispanics?
My god, perhaps even … whites?!
The story says the club plays Top 40 music, which isn’t a specific enough clue.
The Phase 54 web site is here.
One thing the owners of Phase 54 are definitely guilty of is recycling Studio 54’s logo:
Comments
Tyler Hurst Friday, June 04, 2010:
Weirdest story ever. Going to assume...non-white people?
azgrunter Monday, July 26, 2010:
The race issue is a red herring but there is no question that there is a disproportionate number of blacks (although the majority are white). Parking is the real issue and it's very unfair for the other businesses to suffer because of poor planning.
Jon Harris is a sleazeball for playing the race card.
What I'm wondering is whether they ever play live music. From what I see they just have a DJ play — and they want a $5 cover charge, which I'm not about to pay to hear the same crud I can play on my mp3 player.
I'll bet that if any bands do play at Phase 54 Jon Harris will rip them off. Maybe he will call them racists if they want to be paid.
does it matter Saturday, August 21, 2010:
Does it matter what race the patrons are…. if its a bad parking lot then its a bad parking lot. If its a club its a club…. it is a sad day today when we have do things like this to bring ourselves back instead of move forward.