Side Dish has learned that New York City bartenders and bouncers, besieged by rampant crime and slow police response times, are using private chat groups to alert each other to violent thugs and other threats to staff and customers.
Nearly three dozen East Village staff haunting Lucy’s, Doc Holliday’s, The Spotted Owl Tavern, Spikes, Beetle House, Phoenix Bar and Niagara have began sharing information via an Instagram chat group about the potential dangers of criminals and other miscreants of their bars and beyond.
In a recent text exchange shown to Side Dish, a member of the group posted a horrific video of a menacing-looking customer shoving himself right into a bar, punching and swinging a stool on the bouncer, even after appearing to be a club.
“He’s the guy who got me with the stool. Seven stitches, blood and a concussion,” wrote the goalkeeper, asking not to discover him and his whereabouts.
“He got here in yesterday during my day shift,” one other chimed in. “I made a decision to yell at me, walk across the bar and stare at me.”
Yet one more worker said he called 911 out of fear of imminent danger from the identical thug – with no satisfactory response from the cops.
![Ivan Romero, Lucy's bartender](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000007642974.jpg?w=1024)
” [911 operator] I literally heard him screaming within the background about how he was going to kill me and so they were like, “Oh, is he still there?” You wish help? After which [the police] showed [up] Three fucking hours late, an worker complained.
Frustrated staff’ worries come as town’s nightlife continues to grapple with a wave of lawlessness because the pandemic.
East Village bar staff joined forces in late 2021 to form an Instagram chat group to protect themselves from threats akin to Earl Gumbs, who was accused of fatally beating 61-year-old goalkeeper Duane Patterson outside a Chelsea bar last Christmas Eve.
![Screenshot of a group chat](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/side-dish-100.jpg?w=682)
Lucy’s bartender, Ivan Romero, who also manages the favored Avenue A venue, said the predominant problem is that incidents aren’t prioritized by 911 unless suspects are armed or violent.
“I’ll go to the police station and an hour later they’ll say they’re calling 911 without delay. And in the event that they show up, they’ll just roll within the automotive and won’t get out. There might have been a stabbing or a homicide during that point,” added Romero.
According to Romero, Gumbs was a menace well-known to many bartenders within the East Village.
“He was terrorizing the young women working within the bar. Then he ran away,” said Romero, who added that he once had to “talk out” Gumbs after he kicked the door and threatened to kill one other bartender.
Gumbs, 37, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Patterson’s death but was released pending trial. He was recently spotted lurking within the East Village, and the Gumbs saw highlighted texts between chat group members.
![Earl Gumbs is escorted out of the Midtown South police station in January.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000005082783.jpg?w=1024)
“Watch out. Earl is around. I saw him last night at 4:30,” reads one in every of the last texts viewed by Side Dish.
Spotting out violent people is unfortunately a part of the job now, several nightclub staff said.
In a single group chat, a bartender posted a photograph of somebody he had kicked out after which sent a warning to others. “[Name] just threw it away [bar name] he and his friend are nearby.
He added one other: “Yes, no, please, everyone be protected because his boys are those who had guns that one time. In fact, I do not know in the event that they’re the identical boys, but yes.
Within the February 27 incident, Lucy’s barmaid Hannah told Side Dish that she called 911 about a young person who threatened her with a gun but had to wait two hours for police to arrive.
An underage boy walked in, was refused service, began hitting on her and refused to leave, said Hannah, who didn’t want to give her name.
“He became more aggressive. Then he began swearing and behaving aggressively towards the purchasers who pushed him out,” Hannah said.
“Then he was outside, locked up, so he began banging on the door, opening all the pieces in the rubbish, and commenced throwing things on the windows. He found a wheelchair and commenced throwing it around and threatened to shoot the window with a gun.
“I used to be on the phone with 911. I asked for an ETA. “Do you hear him?” He threatens to shoot through the window. She [the 911 operator] he said asking for an ETA won’t make anyone come faster… The child pounded on the door for nearly half-hour and nobody showed up.
![Romero outside Lucy's on Avenue A.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/NYPICHPDPICT000007642992.jpg?w=1024)
By the point police arrived, the teenager had fled, Hannah said, adding that she was grateful to other bartenders who showed up and helped.
A police spokesman told Side Dish that the 911 call made no mention of firearms or a wheelchair, and calls were answered on a priority basis.
“This dispute was not a priority task. Officers will respond and cope with priority tasks first. Priority work was underway on the time of the dispute, which included a knife dispute, an emotionally disturbed abusive person, a ShotSpotter activation, and a location prowler,” the spokesperson said.
Romero said the community values police and needs to see more of them, not less.
“We cope with everyone, similar to Starbucks,” Romero said. “There are psychos who go from bar to bar, and we’d like cops to come and explain situations before they murder people.”
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