Double Wide Under Fire for Kicking Out Patron Who Objected to Nazi Imagery

The crowd at Deep Ellum’s Double Wide bar can, in many ways, be described as diverse. It’s a place where punks, hipsters, and yuppies alike gather to drink cheap beer and trashy cocktails, but some critics say that the bar’s owners should be a little more particular about who they let in.

Last Thursday night, a Dallas man spoke up to Double Wide bar staff after seeing a patron wearing a leather vest emblazoned with Nazi imagery. Video of the event, which surfaced to YouTube over the weekend, shows the man saying “Do you want to respect a fuckin’ white supremacist” to a bar employee.

After a brief exchange with the man wearing the offending images, the video shows the bartender saying to the first man “Please just leave the property, in about 30 seconds, I’m going to have to call the cops. We’ve asked you politely to leave the property multiple times."

The video was posted to a YouTube account belonging to the Dallas chapter of Antifa, an international anti-fascism organization. Soon after, the Double Wide’s Facebook and Yelp pages were flooded with reviews from locals criticizing the bar’s decision to allow a person wearing Nazi imagery inside the bar, like this comment from Yelper Deirdre B:

This bar defended a Neo-Nazi proudly sporting an SS patch and threatening to stab another patron. They have remained unapologetic and their staff/management has continued to defend this behavior on their Facebook page. Double Wide's patrons have also been quick to jump on anybody giving this place a bad review over this incident - another sign to be wary. Fuck any bar that serves Neo-Nazis and fuck their patronage for being so happy to cosign white supremacy.

On the flip side, the bar’s regulars were quick to defend their favorite haunt, like this Facebook review from Wes S.

Double-wide is (and has been for over a decade now) the rock 'n roll "Cheers" or down-home CBGB of Dallas. I toured the country for over ten years with various bands and have seen countless "dive" bars. Double-wide deserves a gold medal, hands down. Best pours, best prices, best staff, best bands, etc. Best times. Anytime I am in Dallas, I stop by Double-wide.

Double Wide has not responded to Eater’s requests for comment on the controversy, but did repost a statement from bar employee Del Perez, which Perez says was issued on behalf of owner Kim Finch and Double Wide Staff.

Check out an excerpt from the statement below:

If you believe that I would so proudly work for a business that actually condones racism and bigotry, you have not been paying attention. If you somehow have been led to believe that Double Wide and Single Wide are havens for white supremacists and Neo-Nazis, you are ridiculous and wrong. While it’s clear that some of the online invective we are enduring today is the kind of cheap bandwagoning you can expect after thirteen years of not necessarily being everybody’s friend, I will personally entertain anyone actually looking for a reasonable discussion on last night’s unfortunate events, as I think any of our management or staff would. But, know that this infantile mudslinging, libel and slander is an affront to each one of us, and we are taking it very seriously. We will not tolerate it. We are not your witch to hunt.

On behalf of Kim Finch and the entire staff at both Double Wide and Single Wide, I’d like to express sincere and deep gratitude to everyone who has spoken up in our defense today and reached out to offer their warm support, particularly those of you who have taken the time to counter all the negativity with a positive review on Yelp and Facebook. People are what make any establishment great and successful, and it means more to us than you might ever know. Cheers to all of you, and our huge thanks and love. Peace.