Neal Glessner Maryland man sues Boondock bar claiming he was banned cause he was old and white? A clash of social justice warrior ideology?
It’s tough being an old white guy, especially if you are a 55 year old blogger like said author who has to contend with alleged bias from ‘social justice warrior’ patrons. Or maybe there’s be no alleged bias if one learned to get on with other points of views that may not necessarily reflect their own?
A Maryland man has sued a local bar claiming discrimination, after allegedly being ‘permanently banned’ from the premises for being an ‘old white’ guy.
Neal Glessner, 52, filed the complaint seeking $500,000 in compensation from Dan’s Restaurant & Taphouse in Boonsboro, which he says ‘rudely kicked him out,’ on Feb. 18, 2022.
Glessner, a regular customer, complained that his to-go order was taking over 40 minutes to prepare. After he left with his order, manager Mike Skinner allegedly asked Glessner’s friend to tell Glessner he was banned, according to the suit, which was initially filed in December 2022 but only amended last week.
Although the friend is not named in the lawsuit, he is identified by multiple outlets, including the Hagerstown Herald Mail, as Circuit Judge Joseph Michael.
Frivolous civil lawsuit?
When Michael refused to pass on Skinner’s message, the irate manager allegedly yelled at him that, ‘You old, white people act like you own everything. Get the f–k out of here!’
Police were called, with bodycam footage of the evening showing Michael leaving the bar without protest. In the video, Skinner can be heard telling Michael that ‘You [and Glessner] are not allowed to come back here again.’
Almost one year after the incident, Glessner states, he subsequently learned of Dan’s ‘history of demonstrating animus towards white people.’
Glessner, who runs an IT solutions and hardware company, says since being banished from the restaurant, at least a half-dozen other white men have been banned from Dan’s for ‘otherwise inexplicable reasons.’
Glessner said that he has suffered – and will continue to suffer – ‘irreparable economic loss, humiliation, embarrassment, mental and emotional distress, and strain on relationships’ following the ordeal.
Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke, who co-owns the restaurant with her ex-husband, Dan Aufdem-Brinke, condemned Glessner’s suit as “frivolous” on Facebook last week.
‘Mr. Glessner was asked to leave our restaurant due to repeated occurrences of disruptive behavior against members of our team. Nothing more. Nothing less,’ she insisted, noting that she and her former partner opened Dan’s as ‘a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.’
Animus over social justice warrior issues?
Glessner’s lawsuit found support from local far-right activist Shaun Porter, who rallied a small group of protesters to wield ‘Old White Men’s Lives Matter’ and ‘It Is Okay to be White’ signs outside the business on Sunday, WUSA9 reported.
Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke said despite the fracas, the restaurant still managed to do its best weekend in months. The windows were emblazoned with the words, ‘They tried to bury us, but they don’t know we are seeds.’
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Glessner lamented that ‘Dan and Charlotte Aufdem-Brinke are trying to paint me as an angry racist who is willfully acting to dismantle their business with what they term ‘a frivolous, baseless lawsuit.’’
‘This couldn’t be further from the truth.’
In another statement on Monday, Glessner clarified that ‘anyone who thinks this is about BLM, Trump, or any other political issue is ignoring the facts to promote a political agenda that is not mine.’
In her own statement, Aufdem-Brinke said that Glessner’s suit was grounded ‘solely on his animosity toward my personal views and our advocacy for social and economic justice.’
She also called his efforts a weak attempt to ‘bully a successful small businesswoman and community activist into submission.’
In a Facebook update on Tuesday, Dan’s confirmed that, after giving staffers off on Monday for a much-needed day of rest, the taphouse was back in business.
‘We will not be discouraged, we will not be stopped. Join us!’ the official message read.
