When Drinking Liberally Goes Wrong: Tucson Group 86'd by The Shanty
The Tucson chapter of the political social group Drinking Liberally has been
banned from 4th Avenue bar The Shanty, its longtime hosting venue, following
an alleged incident on June 25th, which prompted Shanty owner William Nugent
to ask, via the Shanty Facebook page, that “Drinking Liberally, as a whole, not
return to The Shanty." In the statement posted Friday evening, Nugent also
singled out chapter members Jim Hannley and his wife Pamela Powers Hannley, and
accused the group of "inappropriate and badgering comments" directed
at regular Shanty patrons. Nugent cited DL's "rude behavior displayed
toward staff and a general sense of entitlement," though he stated that
DL members themselves were always treated with respect from the
historic bar's employees.
According to those familiar with Tucson's chapter of Drinking Liberally,
which has been holding weekly meetings almost exclusively at The Shanty
for nearly a decade, tension has been building over the last year between
the two. Nationally, Living/Drinking Liberally has dozens of chapters in 42
states, with its goal to “build democracy one drink at a time.” As Nugent
stated, Tucson's DL meetings were initially "a casual setting to converse
about government issues and current events." The Shanty and DL have
long been a go-to stop for any local or statewide political candidate seeking
the approval of well-connected Tucsonans on the left. Together, the two
have hosted functions featuring Rep. Raul Grijalva, former Rep. and Shanty
fixture Gabrielle Giffords, and several Free Baja Arizona rallies, including the
taping of a Daily Show segment with correspondent Aasif Mandvi that never aired.
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2014/07/19/when-drinking-liberal-goes-wrong-tucson-group-86d-by-the-shanty
= new reply since forum marked as read
Is he related to Ted?
