Mushmouth
05-11-2017, 11:40 AM
:lol
Thanks to a 1926 law called the New York City Cabaret Law, dancing is banned in all establishments that don't have a Cabaret License. The origins of the law are deeply racist — it was devised to target black jazz clubs — and over the years it has been selectively enforced to oppress black, brown, and LGBTQ+ communities by denying them the right to free and joyful expression.
What's more, the Cabaret License is prohibitively expensive and almost impossible to get (only 0.01% of bars and restaurants across the city have one), which means venues owned and frequented by marginalized groups are often most at risk of being threatened with closure — for dancing.
It's a tool that can be used against any [venue] regardless of the reason you have an issue with them. If I'm a NYPD officer and you're a bar that's loud [and] we want an easy way to shut you down, we come in there and write a Cabaret ticket. Or we can use it because you're a black bar in a white neighborhood, or a gay bar — those are things that historically have happened.
http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/10/how-to-end-nyc-racist-no-dancing-law
Thanks to a 1926 law called the New York City Cabaret Law, dancing is banned in all establishments that don't have a Cabaret License. The origins of the law are deeply racist — it was devised to target black jazz clubs — and over the years it has been selectively enforced to oppress black, brown, and LGBTQ+ communities by denying them the right to free and joyful expression.
What's more, the Cabaret License is prohibitively expensive and almost impossible to get (only 0.01% of bars and restaurants across the city have one), which means venues owned and frequented by marginalized groups are often most at risk of being threatened with closure — for dancing.
It's a tool that can be used against any [venue] regardless of the reason you have an issue with them. If I'm a NYPD officer and you're a bar that's loud [and] we want an easy way to shut you down, we come in there and write a Cabaret ticket. Or we can use it because you're a black bar in a white neighborhood, or a gay bar — those are things that historically have happened.
http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/10/how-to-end-nyc-racist-no-dancing-law