Does the Keisha Young story reflect historical struggles that you’ve felt in addressing reports of racism within that space? VICE: The incident at Nellie’s wasn’t the first time that you’ve called out the bar for its alleged mistreatment of Black LGBTQ patrons. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. In many ways, people aren’t forcing them to care.”
“I think they were hoping this would be a moment and that people would get over it. “I don’t think Nellie’s cares or has ever cared,” he told VICE. Now a year later, Mitchum said nothing has changed. He said this includes unequal treatment of Black and white patrons and what he alleged was the bar’s dismissal of guests’ concerns when approached about these issues. Preston Mitchum, former board co-chair for Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS) and lead organizer of the protests that followed, has been calling out Nellie’s for anti-Blackness that he said he’s experienced in the space since 2017.