What was supposed to be a fun night out with friends turned sour for an Indianapolis man who claims he was kicked out of a restaurant for sporting a necklace with a large cross on it.
Jerry Bond said he and his friends got into a confrontation with the bouncers at Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill last Friday after he was asked to remove his jewelry.
“They said, ‘well you’ve got to remove your necklace’ … because they it’s a large necklace,” Bond told local station WXIN. “‘We’re going to ask you to either tuck your necklace, remove it or you have to leave.‘ ”
Bond said the large gold pendant was a symbol of his faith, so hiding it wasn’t an option. He chose to leave the restaurant while his friends stayed behind in hopes of resolving the issue.
According to Kilroy’s dress code, “no large chains of outside shirt” are permitted inside the restaurant. Its policies are posted near the front entrance, according to WRAL. Bond argued there were other customers sporting large necklaces, yet he was the only one asked to tuck it in or leave. He said the entire ordeal left him feeling “embarrassed.”
“It’s like I was just singled out for no reason,” he said.
Minister David Latimore, a friend of Bond’s, said he spoke to a manager about the May 19 incident, who apologized for the trouble once he realized he was talking with a man of the cloth. In a Facebook video detailing the encounter, the minister said another bouncer also apologized, saying the bouncer who approached their table had taken things “way too far.”
https://www.facebook.com/david.latimore1/videos/10209875574360873/
Latimore said he believes Bond was a victim of racial profiling.
“So, I asked him, ‘what is a large necklace? What does that mean? What size is large?’ He couldn’t tell me,” Latimore recalled of his conversation with the manager. The faith leader said he followed up with an e-mail to the restaurant’s owner to further discuss the “dress code” but never got a response. So, he organized a protest.
“If you have business in this city, you should treat your customers a certain way,” he told WXIN. “For us to turn a blind eye to it and continue to treat customers this way is just not right. It’s something I won’t stand for.”
On Saturday, a group of locals gathered outside the restaurant to protest the incident, toting handwritten signs scolding the eatery for how it treated Bond. Bond also attended the demonstration, displaying a sign that read, “Singled out because of my necklace … Really? Kilroy’s, do better!”
Minister Latimore said he hopes the protest sent a clear message to Kilroy’s.
