Newly Opened Brooklyn Bar Gets Blasted by Locals for Racist Behavior

Last month, a bar and sandwich spot called Summerhill opened up in the Crown Heights neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

It’s been a rough month.

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On Tuesday, Eater published a story based around a press release the establishment, which is located on 673 Nostrand Avenue, sent out.  The press release showcased a photo of a cocktail next to a “bullet hole-ridden wall” — which Gothamist theorizes isn’t real — and bragged about replacing “a long-vacant corner bodega (with a rumored backroom illegal gun shop to boot).” The establishment also promoted a Rose that comes in a Forty Ounce bottle, which the establishment planned to sell out of a brown bag.

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After the story was published the reaction to the establishment was fierce. A local has started posting flyers all around the neighborhood. The flyers use words like “racist,” “colonialist,” and a “gentrifier” to describe Summerhill and its owner, Toronto native Becca Brennan. 

Now, on Saturday, a group of locals plan to host a forum right in front of Summerhill at 2:30 pm. As for the owner, Brennan started out defiant — even making a joke about her tan in response to being called white in the Eater article — but now it seems like she’s ready to make amends.

Earlier today, during an interview with Gothamist, she apologized for “unintentionally calling out gun violence,” saying:

“I truly never meant it in that way, but I recognize that it was insensitive. I was excited to keep the wall as a shout out to the different businesses that occupied the space before us but my intention was misinterpreted and I’m sorry for that.”

She also posted more from that article on the Summerhill Instagram.

Source: Eater, Gothamist