Yet Another Uptown Bar Accused of Racially Discriminatory Dress Code

After the federal government had to intervene and tell Kung Fu Saloon to kill its racially-motivated admittance policy, yet another Uptown bar is being accused of denying patrons based on race.

A complaint has been filed with the City of Dallas by three local women, alleging that a bouncer at Uptown watering hole Trophy Room refused to allow them to enter the club because they were dressed too casually. According to the women, they were dressed in blouses, skirts, and heels and denied entry, while other “nonminorities” were allowed inside wearing t-shirts and sneakers.

Trophy Room owner Jeremiah Miranda denies the allegations, saying that there was a fight that “necessitated a brief door closure per TABC rules” just before the women arrived. Miranda did, however, admit that his bar doesn’t have a publicly-posted dress code, which, as the Morning News’ Robert Wilonsky notes, is a required by Dallas’ anti-discrimination ordinance.

This isn’t the first time that an Uptown bar has been accused of racially-motivated door policies and dress codes. In 2014, a man named DeAndre Upshaw was denied entry to Kung Fu Saloon because he was wearing Converse sneakers, deemed by the club as “athletic shoes.” The incident was part of a broader pattern of discrimination, and the Department of Justice ultimately intervened. As such, the bar was required to pay a fine, along with continued oversight from the DOJ to ensure that Kung Fu Saloon’s dress code didn’t target people based on race.

The Trophy Room incident is still under investigation by the city. Stay tuned for more details as this story develops.

• Yet again, allegations arise that in some Uptown bars, 'dress code' means no minorities [DMN]
• Kung Fu Saloon Accused of Racist Door Policies (Again) [EDFW]
• Feds Put the Kibosh on Discrimination at Kung Fu Saloon [EDFW]