1OAK, the almost-meatpacking lounge that revels in pistol imagery, is feeling some heat on the blogosphere — on Monday, Down by the Hipster reported the club was raided, and, although that seems to have been misinformation (denials were issued to both us and to DBTH), Gawker is now reporting on an actual incident that occurred there around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. An eyewitness tells the site that two individuals were attacked by a man who used a homophobic slur. One of the victims ended up needing stitches after being rushed to the hospital, and yet the eyewitness claims that 1OAK owners Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva told him not to call 911 or take an ambulance. A 1OAK rep denied that version of events to us and sent the following official statement:
1OAK is committed to providing an environment of safety and security to patrons every night. This incident was handled by security and staff immediately; any stories to the contrary are irresponsible and falsely reported. The staff and 1OAK owners personally rushed to the victim’s aid and fully cooperated with authorities and urged the victims to provide a statement to the police that night. This type of inappropriate behavior is not acceptable and will not ever be tolerated at 1OAK
Whether or not this was a hate crime (1OAK’s rep says Sartiano didn’t hear of a slur being uttered), you have to feel for the victims — aside from their obvious pain and suffering, when you’ve been shelling out for $18 drinks all night, you’re probably not in the best position to afford a pricey ambulance ride.
Did 1 Oak Try To Shrug Off Gay-Bashing Incident? [Gawker]
1 Oak Raided [DBTH]
