Deuce McAllister claims he was assaulted in bar

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Deuce McAllister claims he was assaulted in bar where black student died

By Cain Burdeau
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister alleges in a lawsuit that he was manhandled during Mardi Gras a year ago by bouncers at the same Bourbon Street nightclub now under fire in the death of a black college student from Georgia.

The death of Levon Jones, a 25-year-old Georgia Southern student, on New Year's Eve at the hands of three bouncers has become a rallying point for black civic groups and ministers who accuse French Quarter businesses of fostering and allowing racism.

The three Razzoo Bar and Patio bouncers face negligent homicide charges after Jones died in a scuffle with them. The Orleans Parish coroner said Jones suffocated as one bouncer held him in a headlock for 12 minutes, another pressed down on his back while the third bouncer held his legs.

In the suit filed Wednesday, McAllister alleges that he was also manhandled on Feb. 24, 2004, after he asked bouncers why they were kicking his friends out of the club. According to the suit, bouncers punched McAllister and held him in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to his knees.

McAllister was bruised and cut and suffered from blurry vision after the incident, his suit says. The suit argues that similar incidents involving bouncers abusing patrons shows that Razzoo's management did not properly train its staff.

McAllister, a former Ole Miss tailback, was unavailable for comment today. His lawyer, Donald Foret, would not comment.

Jones reportedly was assaulted after he tried to help a friend who had been turned away because he failed to meet the club's dress code. Jones' family has filed a wrongful death suit against the bar; the suit alleges one of the bouncers grabbed Jones' friend, Anthony Williams, after he said similarly dressed white people were going into bar.

Jones was a flag football player at Georgia Southern who was in New Orleans with teammates for a tournament.

Civil rights organizations, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP and a group of New Orleans ministers, have accused Razzoo's owners of racism.

Razzoo is a popular bar and nightclub with karaoke and live music featured every night. It is on the 500 block of Bourbon Street, one of the busiest stretches in the French Quarter.

Razzoo's owners denied the accusations. In the case of Jones and Williams, the bar says they started the scuffle by assaulting staff.

Meanwhile, the accusations of racism have expanded, and critics said some businesses close during predominantly black events. On Thursday, a crowd complained to the city's Human Relations Commission.

The nightclub told the commission that it stays open during the Essence festival and the Bayou Classic and that 35 blacks work there in management, supervisory and security positions. The club also said that one of the accused bouncers lived for several years with an African-American roommate.

Razzoo noted that "another of the accused was the best man in the wedding of his sister to his close friend, an African-American. To call this man a racist is blatantly untrue."

At Thursday's commission meeting, a heated exchange broke out between black residents and Gae Edin, an owner of Razzoo. Residents shouted out that the nightclub should be closed.

Commission members said they would report to the mayor in a month. The commission also plans to send out "mystery customers" — people of varying racial backgrounds and ages wearing different types of clothing — to visit businesses and report on how they are treated.