I'm 24. I've lived in Westport and I've been going to the bars there since I was 21. In almost 4 years of having a great time down there America's Pub has always been a pain in the ass.. It's always been known that you avoid walking past it at closing time and you never walk by it with your date for fear of the things that will most likely be said to her. The women are dressed like hookers and the men are dressed like they came right out of an early 90's gangsta rap music video. I have no problems with black people, it's people who so perfectly fit their stereotype that suck. I've spoken to plenty of normal black people in WP who won't set foot in America's Pub. Good riddance to America's Pub and the people it attracted. If they want to relocate they should start looking for a spot on Troost.
Oh and as far as Power & Light is concerned, fuck P&L. If I wanted to pay $10 cover and $5 for a Budweiser I'd go to Johnson County. In fact, lets have two price lists in KCMO, one for residents and one for Johnson County fucks since they seem to enjoy paying twice as much as things are worth..
It would be better and safer if all bars and nightclubs shut down. All they do is encourage alcohlism and people to drive drunk.
What I imagine Westport could be is already in place at West 39th Street: a collection of unique shops and restaurants embedded firmly into a safe neighborhood. As far as Westport being an "entertainment district," P + L clearly fills that void. So what is the future of Westport? I have no idea.
Good riddenns to AP. Westport has been going down hill ever since they opened. What happened to the Euston kid was the final straw. Yes, stupid drunk he was. Did he deserve to be sucker punched by a some angry idiot on parol for assault on a federal officer, NO! Griswold Fled the scene with the GF and eluded the cops for 3 months before he was arrested. They jury never heard that. Euston never raised a hand to Griswold, it was NOT self defense.
This Article isn't racist. If you have lived around this area long enough, you know the description of this place is pretty much dead on.
one less crappy "bar" in westport - Nevermind about the supposed "racist undertones" to this article. Whomever wants to bitch about it, in an online forum, are just as ignorant as their insults. WHO CARES? As long as you don't spend money with Power & White..er..Light, & spend it at UN-corporately owned bars & venues that cater to what wesport SHOULD be; a great place to hang out, catch a show, & get wasted. VIVA LA WESTPORT!
Andrew: I hadn't heard anything like that about Missie B's .. I can't say that the location would be much better. Where they are now they are the only game in town, and the AP site management has demonstrated that they are willing to force out an otherwise viable tenant.
I've seen for sale signs where they currently are located, but I think it's referring to selling Nichol's Lunch / Mama's building
The article is not racist. He talks about perceptions of the bar and then gives facts about it. Pointing out the facts that the patrons were largely african-american and that there were several incidents of violence does not make the author racist.
Sauce816,
A) The author is talking about ONE club, not many.
B) The views of Many Kansas Citians? I'm Pretty sure there are a lot of African Americans in Kansas City who would say they enjoy an array of clubs.
C) If you feel that our community has ignorant views, then it starts with people like you validating articles like this.
Calm down people...clearly the author of this piece is trying to project the stereotypes many Kansas Citians have about clubs that cater to a largely black clientele. While ignorant, those are real perspectives within our community that shape opinions powerfully. If you don't recognize that, then you are the one who is ignorant.
Just out of curiosity, has anyone else heard that Missie B's might be interested in the location?
It seems the aurthur of this article is scared of a sterotype for african americans. Euston was white and he was the aggressor..failed to mention that in your racist story sir.
"As anyone with even a peripheral knowledge of the dynamics in Westport can tell you, sometime around the beginning of this millennium, America's Pub began attracting an African-American crowd that gradually earned a reputation for unruly, sometimes violent, behavior."
Last time I checked, unruly behavior tends to happen at any place with any race of people, at any time. When you add alcohol and a nightlife setting to the equation, you increase those chances. To say that one group of people is known for this is completely racist.
This article is probably the most offensive thing that I've read in a while. This grossly skewed article makes me sick.
Bring back the Shadow? The party after Lollapalooza 91 with Siouxie and Trent in attendance was, as they say, epic.
This article is racist. That kid wasn't "fatally punched", he was belligerently drunk and hit his head after he got punched for being an asshole, grabbing a girlfirend's ass.
With comments like that, I'd say Mike Tiffany probably supports Rick Santorum.
reminder about the euston tragedy: griswold was found NOT GUILTY of involuntary manslaughter for punching a kid that was harrassing him & his girlfriend and whose alcohol limit was FOUR times the legal limit
I have disagree with your characterization of the impact of the Euston situation. That should illustrate the inherent danger of being alone and black out drunk ANYWHERE. It seems evident that young man's actions(aggressively taunting his eventual assailant) were relevant to his ultimate demise. Don't give license to being young, drunk, and stupid by pinning the blame for this on the AP crowd. Additionally, Westport doesn't compete P&L...and that's a very good thing. Leave P&L to the bach. parties, visitors, and the like. I'm quite content dealing with higher caliber locals in Westport and have and continue to feel quite safe and comfortable doing so.
Westport needs to go back to what it was in the 70's and 80's, a shopping area with unique stores and restaurants with just a sprinkling of bars. Let P & L have the bar business and the JoCo crowd, midtown doesn't want or need them. There are plenty of restauranteurs who would love the chance to open a small place and the Westport Association needs to be actively recruiting and making rents reasonable for them. It will take years, but if they want to a long term approach, as opposed to just filling up the empty spaces with more bars, they can turn the area around and make it safe and vibrant again.
Re: “America's Pub is out of Westport”
Whoever wrote this article walks the fine line very gracefully. Hats off to you!