Brooklyn says goodbye to yet another venue. Black Bear Bar, known primarily for it's skateboarding, has closed its doors for good.
It was announced in a post on their Facebook page.
"After many wonderful years being a part of the Brooklyn community, we must unfortunately announce that Black Bear Bar is now closed for business. We thank all those who worked towards and supported our establishment and hope to be able to continue to contribute to this incredible neighborhood. We thank you Brooklyn!"
Of course, this comes just a few months after a Oi!, a skinhead festival, was booked for Black Bear Bar on Memorial Day Weekend before being cancelled due to outrage from, well, everyone. Northside Fest then cancelled all their Black Bear Bar shows. Just 3 months later their doors are closed for good. We don't know that this was a cause of the closing, but becoming the neighborhood pariah certainly didn't help.
We're sure the dynamic space (which was previously Public Assembly) will be home to a great venue soon, but for now, let this be a lesson to all you bookers out there. Don't book racist shows, the internet WILL ruin you.
