ROGERS PARK — A gay-owned restaurant and bar in Rogers Park was the target of a homophobic attack Monday as a man with a hammer threatened customers and smashed the glass front door, according to authorities.
A man and a woman were getting out of their car around 5:40 p.m. Monday near R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis Ave., when a man walked up and began shouting homophobic slurs and threatening them, police said in an incident report.
The man and woman walked into R Public House, but the hammer-wielding man returned and continued his verbal attack.
An employee told ABC-7 the man yelled “anti-gay slurs” and was told to leave, but he then took out a hammer and smashed a window in the bar’s front door.
“Nothing like a homophobic guy with a hammer yelling anti-gay slurs at customers and threatening them to shake up the night,” R Public House’s management wrote in a tweet. “WTF is wrong with people.”
No injuries were reported, police said. An arrest has not been made in the case.
R Public House bills itself as a “community driven pub that welcomes everyone,” according to its website. It routinely hosts community events and fundraisers. Owners Sandra Carter and Renee Labrana also own neighboring Jarvis Square Tavern.
Help Block Club Get
500 More Subscribers!
Subscribe to Block Club now and you’ll get a free 16-by-20-inch Chicago neighborhood print of your choice, helping us reach our goal of getting 500 more subscribers before 2024. Click here to subscribe or click here to gift a subscription.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast: