OUT FRONT Journo Allegedly Attacked by Security at Colfax’s The 1up

From the Editor: As Chris Arneson is one of our writers, OUT FRONT has decided to let another outlet handle the news and investigation side of the story (Denver’s KDVR/Fox 31 Denver), which is in process. Our reporting below is not news; it is, thus far, opinion. In the meantime, he penned a column to tell the story from his angle. As has the author, I’ve attempted to make contact with the Colfax branch of The 1up management, but at the time of publishing, no calls were returned. We will update if they decide to comment on record.

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Both journalist Chris Arneson and I will be sitting down with owner Jordan Adler, as well as the implicated bartender (name unrevealed as the time of this update) to sort through the surveillance video of what happened over the weekend. We will update those results tomorrow. Below is Chris’ account of what he alleges happened this past Saturday night.

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Tuesday afternoon update: See an explanation and retraction after the column.

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You never think you’ll be the guy dragged out of a bar … unless it’s The 1up on Colfax — then you might just be safer to assume it.

Just after midnight this past Saturday, I was out celebrating my friend’s birthday. We were bar hopping and decided to end the night winding down at the arcade bar that used to double as a music venue. I’ve been there plenty of times, and the crowd is typically pretty mellow.

We weren’t there long before one skee-ball machine stole a few of our quarters. We threw in about three before deciding it was officially broken, then requested a bartender help us out. I would’ve been fine with a refund, but he was adamant on fixing it — all while calling us “idiots” for putting in multiple quarters.

No apology, just verbal abuse over less than $1.

The bartender decided the machine’s balls must have ended up in another machine, so he started grabbing them from the girl playing next to us. Without warning, and no explanation. He just leaned in front of her game. She was confused and asked him what he was doing. No sign of aggression from her — he was twice her size — but because of that, he threw her out.

This made me and my boyfriend uncomfortable, so we asked why he did that. He told me to “shut up before [I] was thrown out, too.” He seemed to want to escalate an argument, and when I told him there was no reason for that, he screamed “GET OUT OF HERE!” Within seconds, a security guard was gripping my neck and arm, dragging me through the bar as I held my hands up telling them I would leave by myself. They would have none of it.

I was being choked for trying to play an arcade game.

I wanted to grab my phone and get a video but I was terrified they’d think I was pulling a weapon. We all know that right now is not the time to mess around with that.

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not an aggressive person. I budtend for a living, so I frequently keep my composure in far worse situations. My confusion at this particular one warranted no need to choke and drag me out of a bar. It all felt like it had escalated further than it needed, and it was humiliating.

Once we were outside, they demanded we leave the property and would barely let us be on the sidewalk. The guard who choked me looked pleased with himself. I asked him why he did it, and if he would at least apologize. Nothing. (However, his friends — not coworkers — followed us down the street to tell us to back off, which was pretty scary.) I remained calm (in spite of being terrified) and urgently needed to speak with management.

A blonde woman, I believe a manager, came outside and explained how the situation was entirely our fault, that the bartender and guards had every right to handle the situation like they did. She said we were too drunk and aggressive, and neither were true.  We hadn’t had a single drop to drink at The 1up, and instead of helping us, she was demeaning us.

She asked if I had any physical damage, and when I told her I didn’t, she pretty much told us we had no proof. I kept trying to handle the situation like an adult, but not a single employee would bring their maturity to our level. We just wanted an apology.

So I called the cops and took pictures of the employees.

It took them an hour to arrive. In the meantime, I walked down the street to X Bar, where we’d just left without being strangled, to talk with their security about what I should do … if it was worth it to wait for the cops … if I should be taking note of anything that could be important later. He said the cops wouldn’t be able to do much, and that he hears this happens frequently there. (Not surprised.)

We decided to wait for the cops, anyway. They arrived around 1:30am, asked us to describe the situation, and one cop went inside to ask for their story. From what he got, the blonde manager told him I “shoved her,” that I was “physical” with her staff and basically had it coming. They blamed a lot of the situation on the girl playing skee-ball because she was “too drunk”… but from what I saw, she was just stuck in an awkward situation. We got her number and I checked up on her the next day, which is what all aggressive drunks do, right?

Maybe I shouldn’t have intervened on her behalf, but the entire thing was just awkward and aggressive and you just don’t treat customers that way. Again, I just wanted less than $1 back from a broken skee-ball game. But after everything, there was nothing the cops could do. And apparently the bar doesn’t have video surveillance (in spite of there being footage of an earlier incident of aggression caught on tape), so all I had was my word and witnesses. They told me my best chance would be Yelp reviews and blasting them on social media.

So I did.

I spent nearly my entire next day emailing the company, sending them Facebook messages, and calling them to leave voicemails, trying to reach the owners. I described my experience through reviews on Yelp, Google, and Facebook. I had at least 20 friends sharing my story on social media. My mom in Wyoming was terrified that someone handled me by the neck in a Colfax bar.

But it looks like I’m not the first. If you look through their Yelp reviews, there seems to be a situation like this happening every few months from both the LoDo and the Colfax locations. These employees seem to be looking for a fight. (See images below.)

My boyfriend heard from a friend who allegedly witnessed a transgender woman being removed from the women’s restroom, also by her neck. Unfortunately, this time they choked a gay journalist who knows a Yelp review alone isn’t going to do a damn thing.

So if all I can do is tell my story, I’m going to tell it where people can see it. I hope others are going to come forward and do the same. Let’s get their attention and show that arcade bar with an aggression problem that you don’t fuck with family.

Game over, 1up.

UPDATE AND OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF RETRACTION: OFFICIAL RETRACTION FROM AUTHOR CHRIS ARNESON In my article, I stated I did not drink at 1up. When we reviewed the tapes, there was footage of me taking a shot with my group upon entering the bar. I did not recall the shot at the time of writing my article and because of that, I retract the statement.

Additionally, I’d like to clarify a distinction in verbiage: After reviewing the footage with Jordan Adler of The 1up, I was initially shoved — not dragged — through the The 1up. When I turned to my assailant to inform him that I can leave without being assaulted, I was pushed backwards via contact to my neck, shoulder, and arm, resulting in a choking and dragging sensation.