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Trio working to increase hip hop options

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BY HILARY KINDSCHUH / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 - 12:33:51 am CDT

Bishop Arvin recalls a time he tried to get into a bar near 14th and O streets.

Even as hip hop music played from inside, Arvin was not allowed in because he was wearing a gold chain necklace with a small cross.

“They said I had to take it off” because of the dress code barring urban or hip hop cultural wear, he says, moving the collar of his dress shirt to show the small necklace.

Story Photo
Shelby Pickens, left, owner of PKNZ Security, keeps an eye on the dance floor during a Dem Pretty Boiz Productions Saturday Night Lights event last month at The Hurricane bar and dance club in the Haymarket. (Jill Peitzmeier)
Police calls to downtown and area bars

This is a breakdown of police dispatch calls and incident reports filed this year through Sunday. Dispatch calls indicate police were called to a location. Incident reports (IR) indicate police filed a report about something that happened at the site.

This breakdown includes bars downtown and near downtown that had five or more dispatch calls and incident reports filed. It does not necessarily include calls from the sidewalk.

Near Downtown

- The Alley, 1031 M St.

Dispatch: 15 calls, including five assaults

IR: 10, including five assaults

- The Keg, 104 N. 20th St.

Dispatch: 13 calls

IR: three, including two assaults (one with beer bottle)

- The Bar, 1644 P St.

Dispatch: 18 calls, including one assault

IR: nine

- Beacon Lounge, 311 S. 11th St.

Dispatch: 15 calls, including three assaults

IR: seven, including three assaults

- Duggan's Pub, 440 S. 11th St.

Dispatch: three calls, including one assault

IR: three, including one assault with a knife

Downtown

- Opulence, 1033 O St.

Dispatch: 34 calls, including four assaults

IR: 10, including four assaults (two with mace/pepper spray)

- Christo's Pub, 1200 O St.

Dispatch: seven calls, including one assault

IR: five, including one assault

- Sur Tango Bar & Café, 1228 P St.

Dispatch: 50, including four assaults

IR: 15, including four assaults (one with a gun)

- Barrymore's, 124 N. 13th St.

Dispatch: six calls

IR: six

- Watering Hole, 1321 O St.

Dispatch: 11 calls, including one weapons call

IR: four, including one weapons (knife in pocket)

- Main Street Café, 1325 O St.

Dispatch: 10 calls, including two assaults

IR: seven calls, including two assaults

- Brothers Bar & Grill, 1339 O St.

Dispatch: 24 calls, including three assaults

IR: 12, including three assaults (one with beer bottle)

- Sandy's, 1401 O St.

Dispatch: 65 calls, including one assault

IR: six calls, including one assault

- Dillinger's, 1409 O St.

Dispatch: 78 calls, including 25 assaults

IR: 56 calls, including 27 assaults (one with knife, three with bottles and two with shoes)

- Bodega's Alley, 1418 O St.

Dispatch: nine calls, including two assaults

IR: five, including two assaults

- Iguana's, 1426 O St.

Dispatch: 17 calls, including two assaults

IR: 17, including three assaults

- Bricktop, 1427 O St.

Dispatch: 13 calls, including five assaults

IR: 11, including five assaults (one with snowball)

- Downtown, 1430 O St./Lazzari's Pizza, 1434 O St.

(Some of the police dispatch and incident report records erroneously listed Downtown at Lazzari's address, so totals combine numbers from both businesses)

Dispatch: 47 calls, including 11 assaults

IR: 35, including 12 assaults

- Brass Rail, 1436 O St.

Dispatch: 33 calls, including one assault

IR: 13, including one assault

— Hilary Kindschuh

“You can have a Sean John shirt on and not get in,” says Arvin’s friend Justin Dillwood. “But you can listen to the music coming outside of the club, and it will be P-Diddy’s song. You can’t have a Roc-A-Fella (Rocawear) shirt on, and the next track will be a Jay-Z song.

“So it’s kind of ironic that I can listen to his music inside the bar, but I can’t wear his clothes to get into the bar.”

Arvin, Dillwood and their friend Micheal Q. Thompson are trying to establish a consistent urban entertainment option in Lincoln.

“There’s a different type of environment from the parties or venues that we throw compared to (the downtown bars),” Thompson said.

Arvin and Thompson, members of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, started their own production company, Dem Pretty Boiz, to provide positive, creative nightlife events. Dillwood is president and owner of record label/entertainment firm STF Enterprises LLC.

“Urban entertainment is the hip hop culture that was started by African Americans in the (1970s),” Arvin said. “The way we wear our clothes, the words that we speak, the cars we drive with big rims on them — that’s all part of our culture.”

This fall, Dem Pretty Boiz began hosting Saturday night hip hop parties at The Hurricane, 311 N. Eighth St., and STF has been hosting events at Bristo Ballroom, 2112 Cornhusker Highway.

Dem Pretty Boiz and STF hosted a number of events at Opulence Ultra Club, a bar in the Gold’s Building at 1033 O  St., before it closed this summer.

Sometimes more than 700 people filled Opulence, Arvin said.

“But then you deal with the negativity that comes from packing out a club,” he said.

Scuffles and disturbances are “glorified” when they happen at hip hop venues, Thompson said.

“With every nightclub, every place that sells alcohol, you’re going to have those knuckleheads — that’s just going to happen,” he said. “But I think that it’s a little bit more widely known when the venue is more of an R&B type or hip hop type atmosphere.”

The men said when something happened at Opulence, it pulled away police resources devoted to 14th and O streets, where bars are more concentrated, “and it’s glorified that something has gone wrong,” Arvin said.

Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said in an e-mail that officers “go to where the problems are.”

“That means where somebody has called the police, or where we have seen some kind of issue occurring.

“I think you would find that virtually every single downtown bar owner that caters to a youthful drinking crowd feels emphatically that the police give their particular establishment too much publicity and too much attention when something happens there.”

Dillwood said some bigger cities are better at policing and securing an urban entertainment environment, allowing for urban entertainment but maintaining a police presence.

“They try to eliminate (urban entertainment), then it pops up somewhere else, then it goes somewhere else.”

Sometimes problems may escalate between people because Lincoln is a small town, Arvin said.

“Everyone in our culture knows everyone in Lincoln,” Arvin said. “When you talk about going to Atlanta, Ga., there’s not as much tension between people because they don’t know each other a lot of the time.”

While it might be smaller here, urban entertainment has a market in Lincoln with the growing African-American young business network, Dillwood said.

“People of minority descent are getting degrees every semester, staying in the city, and they’re thirsting for things to do, things culturally that fit into who they are,” Dillwood said. “Let us do our thing.”

Arvin said they just wanted a fair shake at what they’re trying to establish in Lincoln.

“If we don’t have our ability to throw our type of events, and listen to our type of music that a lot of the clubs and bars don’t play, we’re just back at square one,” he said.

Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.


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Robert E. Adams wrote on October 18, 2007 5:18 am:
" interesting.... I wish Lincoln's residence nd community could support the article. however from experience. I worked for the american dream- self employement. business ownership, and i seen it become "defunct" as LJS put it in a matter of months. Maybe i am guilty of one day "Wishing for a dream" but im not that person. what I can realize is that yes. a college town needs bars to survive.socialbly, financially. Without it the students would leave to go to another school that has different beliefs within the dinking community. hoever I can say is that any busines owner. before you travel down a road less accepted. Know your role and whom controls your path.. The higher people can and will tell you what and when to do it...and give you advice to save faith. and also warn you from danger. either way...choose your words and paths wisely....As for bar owners...open, keep your goals, dont change your plans of success and always beleive in a little thing called faith. and if faith lets you close then accept it. Restart, reset and try again. But do not make the same mistake twice, Realize the college has millions of dollars at stake and when they talk about bars, clubs, restaurants that serve, and the studnts yes LPD is going to listen because LPD along with the Schools have alot to lose, in fact millions to lose...and its call money. so please take this advice. support the causes, in fact over support them..however realize that 3 people may have a goal, but 240,000 others may disagree with them. certain things are tabu in this town....no matter how i was raised I learned. It wasnt a wise choice. so now I have to prove myself worthy to the community and my friends and partners on the force and maybe some day, just maybe. I can be a business owner again in the downtown community. thank you for your time and support and good luck with your goals, Bishop, Mike, and Justin. Verified owner- opulence ultra club Robert Edward Adams 402-805-2643 flip4174@yahoo.com "
Darth Vader wrote on October 18, 2007 6:24 am:
" Prepare for the barrage of "hip hop = crime = bad" comments from LJS readers. Speaking of which, its so nice that an article about hip hop music is automatically aligned with crime, and of course a box on police reports and dispatches comes with this story too. Good going LJS. "
The Minority who isn't in the majority of the minority wrote on October 18, 2007 8:43 am:
" People of minority descent are getting degrees every semester, staying in the city, and they’re thirsting for things to do, things culturally that fit into who they are,” Dillwood said. “Let us do our thing.” So what you are saying is just because I'm a minority I immediately am classed in as someone who listens to that kind of music? Sorry bro but I don't listen to that type of music nor hang with people who only make my own race look stupider by the minute by fulfilling the stereo types that make people look down on us. I'll do my own thing by realizing my surroundings are not the inner city slums of South Chicago or some other low income housing project where a criminal life style is a way of life. If you make it out of that trap to this place or any other University or College you realize that it is a chance to escape from that lifestyle and not just another place to continue in it. I seriously wonder if these guys have even spent a day in the projects in their life. Just a bunch of wannabe kids who don't understand the first thing about what those guys are actually rapping/singing about. "
Jason wrote on October 18, 2007 9:12 am:
" I’m in total agreement with this article, if the downtown bars don’t offer what you are looking for you absolutely should start your own stuff up. Lincoln sometimes needs to stop pandering to the frat crowd. On a lighter note take a look at the police breakdown for calls to the bars. In the last year there have been two assaults with shoes and one with a snowball? This is not the Lincoln I want my kids to grow up in. Seriously, a snowball? Lock that madman away for the rest of his life. "
Bartender wrote on October 18, 2007 10:26 am:
" I'm a bartender in downtown Lincoln. What about the aggressive nature of this crowd? I respect all cultures regardless if I like it or not. I like all hip hop music too. However, year after year I have witnessed the hip hop culture be the most aggressive of all. Different cultures have different levels of aggressiveness, and while it may be accepted in some venues, it is not tolerated at others. Then add alcohol into the mix. Alcohol and aggressiveness.....you might as well send an invitation to the police. "
Bishop Arvin wrote on October 18, 2007 11:39 am:
" First of, I appreciate the LJS for allowing me the opportunity to tell this story. There are so many factors that play into this situation, but the bottom line is that this story was created to let the Lincoln community know we want tell a lighter side of the story. We create these events to have an alternative to going to bars in Lincoln that are "watered down." The bar scene in non-creative and offers the same thing ever week. Therefore, we offer creative events that are not just tailored to people of the minority. Our events are not trying to attract troublemakers. It is believed that people look down upon our events because we have altercations and "aggresive" patrons. Well, I look to my right at these statistics and see that many of the beloved bars in Lincoln have just as much or more dispatch calls than the clubs that cater to hip-hop music. How do we explain that? Please understand that there are "thugs" of different kinds. Yes, there are altercations at my events, but also altercations on O St. every weekend. I understand people will have their opinions about urban nightlife in Lincoln. Fair. But like I said this article was meant to increase awareness that we are all about fun. I never liked the song "Sweet Home Alabama" so why would I want to listen to it in a bar? I'd rather hear Franky Beverly & Maze or New Edition. So therefore I create events that we would actually have a chance to listen to these particular groups. Someone stated a comment early that Lincoln is an "escape from the inner city." I have had an opportunity to grow up in an era where gang violence was dominant so I have experienced it. But yet I attended predominantly white private schools in Creighton Prep & Wesleyan. I have had fellow students treat me like we are still in the 1960's. So tell me why would disassociate myself from my cultrue? Hip-hop is not just music. It is a big part of my culture and it is a driving force behind our way of life. Clothes nor music make you a "thug." My goal is to continue to provide positive things for my culture to do community wise and in nightlife. We will always have people that try to mess that up. "
Hip Hop Honey wrote on October 18, 2007 12:32 pm:
" I agree with the article! I think there are A LOT of people with double standards, that are mis-educated, and plain ignorant in this town we call home. Personally, I enjoy the events put on by the promoters mentioned and will continue to support Lincoln's up and coming hip hop community. See ya'll on Saturday! "
Superman wrote on October 18, 2007 12:56 pm:
" If you read the first couple of paragraphs, it is a total contradiction. They want to be able to go to urban and hip hop clubs where they can wear what they want, but they obviously were not going into a hip hop or urban bar if that attire is not allowed. They play Tupac at CnK’s, that doesn’t make it a hip hop bar, it just means there is a juke box. Most places with a lot of traffic have a dress code. They should just open up their own bar and see how long it takes for them to start enforcing rules they once thought were too tough….we couldn’t get into Citrus because of your shirt, Nico, because of Titus and Tamoney’s shirts, it doesn’t matter where you go, every high traffic bar or club has a dress code. "
Micheal wrote on October 18, 2007 1:36 pm:
" In response to The Minority who isn't in the majority of the minority, I appreciate your feed back and your absolutely right to some degree. You have a right to your opinion but not everyone feels the way you do. I was always taught "Never forget where you came from!" In response to your statement of " I seriously wonder if these guys have even spent a day in the projects in their life. Just a bunch of wannabe kids who don't understand the first thing about what those guys are actually rapping/singing about." Yes I did grow up in the projects/ghetto in Georgia, and second my mother still lives there till this day. Obviously by your comments if you are indeed black, you have forgotten who you are, where you came from and your BLACK HERITAGE. Whether you believe or not a lot of the people in the projects/ghetto are very smart but just don't have the resources other schools and neighborhoods do. Not everyone in the ghetto carries themselves as thugs etc. You cannot help where your born and raised so you have to make the best out of a difficult situation. I could go on but obviously I'm telling you things you should already know. Micheal Q. Thompson "
Joe wrote on October 18, 2007 2:31 pm:
" I think Mr. Dillwood is being disingenous. I am black and live in Los Angeles, and have live in Lincoln and I can tell you, even here, you cant get into any club wearing hip hop clothing. Almost every establishment that is frequented by young adults who mostly happen to be black and hispanic adherents of hip hop there is always a fight or someone gets shot. I agree, the cops go where the trouble is and in my experience in Lincoln, I did not see cops unfairly target an establishment. "
Big T wrote on October 18, 2007 4:16 pm:
" Hip Hop is a way of life, Anytime there is alchol involved there is going to some kind of trouble, whether you were listening r & b hip hop, techno, country or rock. I just don't understand it I do believe there should be limits on what a person should wear, there are extremes, but let me ask the public this, If you owned a country bar do you tell your patrons that they cant wear wrangler jeans, justin boots or a coybow hat. "
Hey wrote on October 18, 2007 4:50 pm:
" Where's Duffy's? Are the hipsters that well behaved? It sounds like Dillinger's needs a little talkin' too. "
Both sides of the tracks wrote on October 22, 2007 4:15 pm:
" I grew in in a urban city housing project. and let me tell you if you can survive that you can survive anything. I went to a college were it was probably 10 percent African American. I have learned to adjust to Lincoln. But when I go out I want to listen to music I grew up on some bars play it but it is a catch they plat rap music they play songs that use the N word so why we can't wear clothes by those artist. I want to wear clothes that were made by people that grew up the way I did. If I wear a Roca Wear shirt that is casual do that make me a thug? I f I wanted to come into your club and fight I can wear a button down shirt from the gap and dope the same thing. The bars in Lincoln can have a dress code and that fine, but may it that way across the board. I can come in with a nice pair of Sean John jeans and a nice polo and get turned around at the door, A white person will walk up with jeans with holes in them and he will get in. I think this dressed code is catered towards African American males. I feel we get discriminated against at the bars in Lincoln because of our color and culture. I have a college degree and I am working toward a masters, I also have a great job. So why would I want to go to a bar and fight and loose all that? Stop judging us on our look, judge us on the way we carry ourself. These guy that are throwing these parties are education black males. I have heard from white teacher, professional that we need more positive black males in the community. So why are we running the educated one off. I hate that in order to go to a bar downtown I have to change my image, But white people can walk into a bar and not change anything. I don't want to hear pour some sugar on me, or that my polo shirt is to big I am 6'3 250 I don't wear an extra large. nor can I fit a shirt at the Gap. "
Worldly View- Japan wrote on October 22, 2007 11:37 pm:
" Growing up in Nebraska, spending a majority of my time in Lincoln, attending Nebraska Wesleyan, and now enjoying the Lincoln Bar scene has been some of my most enjoyable times. I have traveled a lived in a lot of places and I can honestly say the Lincoln Night life only caters to one crowd. If you enjoy bars/clubs there really isn't a diverse selection to choose from. Sure bars play hip hop music, but it is with boundries. After living in Boston, Indiana, Japan, and so on it opens your eyes to the potential Licoln has for a good night life! Sure there may be a lot of bars downtown, but they are all the same with different names attached to them. I think it would do Lincoln some good to have a hip-hop bar/club, it will provide a business venture to a couple of younge entrepreneurs and they will then decide for themselves if thier views hold true. Plus what is the worst thing that could happen, the bar would go under due to lack of profit? These men have an idea they want thier community to take a look at and I applaude them for putting themselves out there. I say good luck with your goal and I hope when I get back to the states I can attend your bar/club. "

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