Charlie’s cancels controversial costume contest

Responding to the backlash over its Cowboys and Indians-themed costume party, the management at Charlie’s had a change of heart and called off the event. Instead, the party will resume with an unspecified motif, but asks that partygoers be respectful of the decision.

Per the Oct. 22 Facebook post:

“For more than 30 years Charlie’s Denver has been providing a safe and inclusive space for everyone in our community, and we plan to continue to live up to this legacy. We’ve met with a representative from the Denver Native American Commission, and we now realize that we have created an entertainment vehicle that was hurtful to a segment of our community. It was never our intention to disrespect Native Americans or their culture and we apologize if we did. Based on this realization, we have cancelled the event. Accordingly, we ask that costumes reflect this decision. However, everyone knows ‘there’s always a party right here at Charlie’s,’ including Saturday night.”

The gratitude is felt in literally hundreds of Facebook likes over the announcement through social media.