Last night, nine bars in the neighborhood donated half of their register to establish a college fund for the two children of slain Forbidden City bouncer Eric "Taz" Pagan.
I stopped by a few of the participating bars early in the evening to check on the turnout. And have a few drinks.
Drop Off Service was, quite frankly, packed. Friday night packed, perhaps. (Not that I've ever been there on a Friday night. Heard someone else say that it was like a Friday night to the bartender. And there were two bartenders working.) Next door, Destination was pleasantly full. Across the street, Forbidden City was crowded. Several people stopped in just to make a donation to the college fund.
The next block to the south, Common Ground was also full. At 9 p.m., a quick check of Superdive found four people inside. Habibi Lounge wasn't open when I first walked by...then, around 9, I saw two people at the bar.
One aside: a couple was moving into an apartment on Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street. Despite several open spaces along the east side of Avenue A, they decided to park directly in front of Forbidden City. Which is fine, but I was curious if they knew what had happened...or what was happening this evening...
In any event, I have no idea what the final tally will be from the bars. But from what I saw, a lot of people came out to provide support...
Previously on EV Grieve:
EV bars come together to create college fund for Eric "Taz" Pagan's children
It was good to be reminded that people in this city can act as a community. I hope the shooting isn't a harbinger of things to come.
ReplyDeletetaz was not a bouncer he was a HERO
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