A racial slur scrawled on a bar receipt in Lawrence, Kansas, ignited a drunken brawl that spilled into the street and ended with several people behind bars, according to police.
The violent incident occurred Sept. 15 at Leroy’s Tavern on New Hampshire Street, where a male customer apparently wrote “F—k You Ni—r” on his bill and left it for the bartender.
Authorities have yet to identify the man who inked the hateful message after cashing out his $39 bar tab and, to add insult to injury, wrote “0.00” on the tip line.
Police have not said what triggered the man to write the N-word, not once, but twice on his bill, which was time-stamped at 12:16 a.m. Sept. 15.
The tab does not indicate how many drinks the man had.
He was still inside the establishment when the bartender finally noticed the offensive message, and immediately called security to have him thrown out.
Instead of going quietly, the man turned combative.
As he was being bum-rushed out the exits, the assailant turned and sucker punched the bouncer who had grabbed him, according to a Facebook post by the Lawrence Kansas Police Department.
After this, several bystanders jumped in.
Fists started flying at random before a full-blown donnybrook lit up the typically quiet college town, home to the University of Kansas, where bars like Leroy’s line the streets just off campus.
Several men were still embroiled in the fight when officers arrived and placed several assailants in handcuffs, restoring the peace.
Three people were taken to jail, though police did not identify the suspects.
Police have not said whether any KU students were involved.
It remains unclear whether the man who instigated the fight was among those arrested.
Multiple injuries were recorded as evidence, but the extent of the injuries was not immediately disclosed.
An investigation remains active, though police did not say what charges the man could face.
Authorities later shared a photo of the receipt, showing the racial slurs and other offensive language blacked out.
Facebook commenters focused mostly on the racial elements of the case, with many pointing out that hidden racists feel more empowered in today’s tensely divided political climate.
“The fact that people have gotten so comfortable with being racist again is truly heartbreaking. Where has shame gone? Cleary people are starting to lose all sense of humanity,” one person wrote.
Facebook user Ben Porter reminded others on the thread that, “This kind of thing didn’t end and start up again recently like people seem to think on here. This type of thing has always happened to some extant or another. We just see the past through rose-colored lenses and act as though it’s gotten worse.”
Another person criticized Lawrence PD for not taking a strong stance against racism in their Facebook post, arguing that a clearer condemnation was needed.
“I’m not sure the point of displaying this ignorance especially with not denouncing it in the post?” wrote Justin Adams. “As officials I think it’s warranted to say we will not tolerate hate of any kind in our community.”
