FROM THE DESK OF JOHN “PAPA JUBE” ALTINO/ DIRECTOR OF SOBS
First and foremost, S.O.B.’S wishes to thank the entire community for their continued support in helping us to establish and maintain a solid presence of Haitian music and culture in Manhattan for the past 20 years.
S.O.B.’S is a multi-genre venue, with a world-wide reputation as “The Respectable Mecca of Music” in New York, we have had the honor of introducing Universal Music to those who have passed through our doors. Legends including Stevie Wonder, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tabou Combo, to newer groups like The Roots, Eryka Badu, John Legend, Kanye West, T-Vice, Carimi, Djakout Musik, Septentrional, Tropicana, and all the HMI artists. Through this journey, we have established strong relationships with all the Haitian artists who have graced our stage.
The fine balance of presenting shows to vast diasporas of World Music enthusiasts makes us finely tuned to the subtleties of security and diplomacy. The low-key security presence that we provide for the “Manhattan Haitian Friday” is not the same one would encounter on a “Hot 97” night.
On a personal level, as a Haitian, for the past 25 years, the world has established S.O.B.’s as one of the safest venues in the city to enjoy music, and for years I enjoyed with pride to boast statements like “Us Haitians, we have class. We are intelligent, sophisticated, creative and peaceful, we can party and respect one another, without suffering the indignities of security searches”. That’s the crowd S.O.B.’S always attracted and together with our patrons we strive to maintain that utopian philosophy of “Soiree de Classe”.
And again on a personal level, I can only be embarrassed, by the event that took place at S.O.B.’S on Friday, March 30th. The incident was disgraceful and unfortunate, and thankfully we were more than prepared to handle it. As those present may have noticed, for the first time, partially due to the overwhelming response for the Carimi – K-Dans reunion, patrons were subject to searches prior to entering the venue, a measure that prevented any potential presence of weapons. Additional security was scheduled, and an undercover NYPD officer was in the house (S.O.B.’s has a strong relationship with our local precinct. On any given night our friends enjoy some great live music as well as, help make S.O.B.’s the safest venue in NYC).
Knowing all the parties involved, I can honestly say that Fo/ Brothers and Glasses all have respect for S.O.B.’S and myself and didn’t come here to incite violence in the club. The usual entourage of hot-headed, young thugs who clearly have no idea of the consequential damages of pulling a musician off stage and assaulting him had other ideas. Contrary to most witness claims, the scuffle that took place was under control in a matter of minutes. Danny P and I were on stage, and we addressed the crowd while security cleared the floor. The party resumed in less than 15 minutes. DJ Bobby Jamz of the Untouchables, laid down a few party tracks, and K-Dans began setting up and shortly after that, the party resumed and the crowd didn’t go anywhere until 4:30 am. Management consulted with Mickael from Carimi, who assured us he wasn’t hurt, while undercover officers in the club monitored the situation outside.
Anyone with sense knows that downtown Soho is not the place to bring violence unless you want to be locked up. Hip hop thugs learned that the hard way a few years ago when they tried to bring their street mentality to Hot 97 which is located a few blocks from S.O.B.’S. The police presence in our area is very strong. As for rumors of a shooting outside, there was no confirmation of this by the officers outside the venue. After they were assured that everything was under control, they left.
Again, we apologize to all our supporters, but under the circumstances, S.O.B.’S security also deserves some kudos because the entire crew of trouble makers was thrown out so fast that the party was able to resume and people continued to have a good time until 4:30am.
S.O.B.’S will continue to be your safe home of Haitian Music in New York, we won’t let this incident damage our objective, which is to promote a positive image of Haitian Music and Culture in “Money Making Manhattan”. S.O.B.’s is a place where one can come and enjoy a live performance by a Haitian group, on the same dance floor as Brazilians, Europeans, Japanese, and all our other brothers and sisters from around the world. We believe our exposure to Haitian music to many other nationalities, coming to discover new music at S.O.B.’s, is a positive growth for Haiti. We are the only venue in New York who has promoted live Haitian music on a consistent basis for the past 20 years. We intend to maintain our goal and can guarantee, that unsavory incidents such as that of last Friday, will not take place again. We have the utmost faith in our Haitian patrons and know them as respectable, creative spirits seeking sanctuary. We thank them for giving us the same support. Once again, we thank you for making us your sanctuary for Haitian Music in NYC.
