Columbia nonprofit says Reign Bar scrutiny reflects broader pattern
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The scrutiny surrounding Reign Bar is part of a broader pattern of Black-owned businesses being singled out amid public safety concerns in downtown Columbia, a local non-profit claimed Thursday.
Race Matters, Friends plans to address what it calls the "state and municipal targeting" of Reign Bar during a virtual press conference Monday. The group said it will call for greater accountability from Columbia city leaders and push back against what it described as state interference in local government. They have also sent a letter to City of Columbia officals, demanding immediate council oversight, rejecting state intervention and ending "the selective scrutiny of Black social spaces."
The group’s concerns come after Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway sent Reign Bar a letter Tuesday addressing what her office called “nuisance conditions” around the business. Hanaway’s letter said the area around Ninth and Walnut streets had experienced a noticeable increase in unruly activity since Reign opened late last year, citing a large fight and an incident involving gunfire. Reign was given 14 days to respond.
The bar has also previously drawn criticism from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi, who warned students to avoid parts of East Walnut Street at night and specifically pointed to Reign. The area has been the site of several high-profile incidents in recent months, including a July street brawl that resulted in seven arrests, a shooting in August and an assault involving a security guard in September.
Race Matters, Friends argues that officials are placing too much responsibility on Reign for incidents that occur in public spaces outside the business.
Susan Renée Carter, a member of Race Matters, Friends, said the group believes officials are disproportionately focusing on businesses along Walnut Street while overlooking crime in Columbia’s Third Ward, which she said does not receive nearly as much attention.
“If you look at the records of the calls that have been made and the things that have been said in the news, you'll see that they're targeting Walnut Street around Ninth Street,” Carter told ABC 17 News. “[Choi] has decided that downtown's dangerous for students, even though if you look at the crime and some of those are crimes against people, not just stealing, the crime on campus is just as bad as it is downtown.”
Carter said the group also wants the city to establish consistent standards for businesses while maintaining local control over public safety.
“Singling out certain businesses is one of the things that we want to stop. We also reject state interference," Carter said. "So the city council needs to exercise their authority over local administration and the state should not be interfering with what's going on locally.”
The Columbia Downtown Community Improvement District has made a similar argument about separating a business from activity that occurs in public areas.
CID Director Nickie Davis said Wednesday that the district does not support assigning responsibility to an individual business without clear evidence that the business itself caused the activity. She also said businesses have limited authority over what happens on surrounding sidewalks and streets.
Race Matters, Friends also said the controversy surrounding Reign fits into what it considers a much longer history of pressure on Black-owned businesses and gathering spaces in Columbia.
The group points to the destruction of the Sharp End during urban renewal efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as more recent scrutiny involving Black-owned businesses including Peppers, Vibez Lounge and Plush Lounge.
Race Matters, Friends also argues that businesses like Harpo’s, Field House/Willie’s, and the Blue Note generate significant police calls and incidents on their blocks, yet officials treat those events as general downtown nightlife activity while allowing those businesses to separate internal operations from street behavior.
Jerrion Nelson, a former general manager at Reign Bar, said he has seen similar tensions surrounding Black-owned businesses throughout his life.
Nelson’s grandfather owned Lou’s Palace, a longtime staple of downtown Columbia.
“My grandpa had a bar here for probably 20 or 30 years. Lou’s Palace. If anybody's from Columbia, if you know any older people from Columbia or went to Mizzou back in the day, they know who Lou was. That's my grandpa. So he went through a lot of this stuff,” Nelson told ABC 17 News in August. “So I knew something like this was gonna come eventually. I just didn't know when. I'm not even going to say it's a race thing, I feel like stuff goes on they got to point the finger at somebody.”
Nelson's comments stop short of attributing the current scrutiny specifically to race, but Race Matters, Friends says the broader history of Black-owned businesses in Columbia should be considered when evaluating the city's response to public safety concerns.
The group is calling on Columbia leaders to establish uniform public safety standards for downtown businesses and to avoid what it describes as selective enforcement.
The nonprofit also wants city officials to maintain control over local administration rather than defer to state officials.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe has said she shares concerns raised by the Downtown CID about Hanaway's letter and the lack of communication with the city before the attorney general's office contacted Reign.
The city and state have continued to face pressure to address public safety downtown following several violent incidents. Choi has repeatedly called on city leaders to take additional action, while city officials and downtown business leaders have discussed additional police presence, safety measures and other approaches.
Race Matters, Friends will hold its virtual press conference at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28.
