Until the Pulse nightclub massacre in 2016, the arson attack which killed 32 people in New Orleans was the deadliest attack at a gay establishment in U.S. history; however, the event “is still relatively unknown, even within the LGBTQ community.” The UpStairs Lounge, a second-floor bar in New Orleans’ French Quarter near the corner of Chartres and Iberville Street, featured a pianist and performances which "were enjoyed by a diverse crowd" as it was one of "few fringe establishments....brazen enough to encourage interracial mingling." The lounge was also “a place of worship” and held services by the Metropolitan Community Church which was the first church in “the U.S. to cater to LGBTQ congregations.”
Earlier that day, Reverend Bill Larson, led a “spiritual gathering” at the lounge. As the weekly “Sunday beer bust” and celebration over the 4th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising that evening was drawing to a close, survivors later reported smelling gasoline but “they didn’t think much of it at the time.” Just before 8 p.m., the doorbell rang which was a sign a taxi had arrived on the street below. The bell kept ringing but no one reported calling a taxi. When the door was opened, a “fireball burst into the room and the inferno quickly spread” as someone had "doused the wooden staircase with lighter fluid and then threw a lighted torch into the stairwell." Jimmy Massacci, owner of the building, and his father, also a previous owner, both witnessed the fire. Jimmy believes "the arsonist was a regular at the bar, due to his familiarity with the door buzzer system used by the patrons." He stated that since the door on Iberville Street “was kept locked, whoever did it had to be a regular and had to know the routine.” A survivor, Ronnie Rosenthal, 21 years old at the time, noted that Buddy Rasmussen, a bartender, led him and about 15 others to safety through a back door that led to the roof, then down to the street; to this day, Buddy refuses to talk to reporters and scholars about the events that day.
It is unclear how but "the door through which the group escaped became locked" and “trapped the rest of the patrons” with a few "managing to squeeze through the burglar bars that blocked the windows." The building had not "been outfitted with proper fire safety measures" as the single emergency exit was not marked and bars covered the windows.Reverend Larson became stuck on the second-floor window and burned to death; a photograph of his burned body was cal
... keep reading on reddit ➡
https://www.advocate.com/crime/2018/11/15/unknown-victim-deadly-1973-arson-gay-bar-finally-identified
It is not my write-up - sorry for any confusion; the article with the victims name and pictures are above
This is an interesting piece because it shows that sometimes people know but just won't come forward for various reasons.
> This year marks the 45th anniversary of the UpStairs Lounge arson, an event that was the largest mass murder of gay people in U.S. history for over four decades — until the Pulse massacre.
>On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the popular gay bar located on the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The fire killed 32 patrons, but only 29 were positively identified. The remaining three victims were generically referred to as “unknown white males.”
>Over a month after the deadly fire, four bodies were still unclaimed: those of the three unidentified victims and Ferris LeBlanc. According to local laws, unclaimed bodies had to be buried as “indigents.” On July 31, 1973, those four were buried in unmarked graves at a New Orleans cemetery, identified in recent years as Resthaven Memorial Park. Sadly, the exact location on the property remains a mystery.
>Who are these three unidentified men?
>It’s an unsettling question that has haunted the community for decades. However, after 45 years, we may finally have an answer, at least for one of the three unknown victims.
>In 2013, I announced the production of UpStairs Inferno, the full-length documentary I made about the fire and its aftermath. I’m honored that since then, many survivors, friends and family members of victims and witnesses have felt comfortable contacting me to share their stories or to ask for help. When I committed to making the film, I did so with the mission to honor the victims and give them the respect and dignity they were denied over four decades ago. Even though the movie was completed and released several years ago, I’m still passionate about that mission. If I have the ability to help families, I want to do all I can.
>One day late this spring, I received a message from 54-year-old Lynette Moreland with information about her relative. While a message like this is not uncommon, I’ll admit I was not prepared for the staggering news she was about to divulge. It would dramatically affect the way we look at the history of the UpStairs Lounge arson.
>She wanted to break her family’s long, deafening silence and identify her
... keep reading on reddit ➡Recently bought the pool table from Lounge (since converted to a Thai BBQ restaurant) and wanted to see if anyone had any photos of the club so I can get some high Res photos printed up as a gift to a mate (who I bought the table with). Ideally after negatives, will pay and giv the them back
https://lobaubleibt.at/presseaussendung-brandanschlag-auf-lobaubleibt-besetzung/
The original text is in German, I use Google Translate to English
>Willful arson during an occupation against the construction of the city motorway, there were no injuries
>
>Vienna, December 31, 2021 - On Friday night there was willful arson at one of the vigils of the LobauBleibt movement against the construction of the city motorway. At around two o'clock in the morning, a wooden weather protection was set on fire by means of a flammable liquid during the occupation in Hirschstettner Strasse, while several climate activists were inside. All of them managed to get to safety in time and fortunately were not physically injured.
>
>Fortunately, the activists inside noticed the fire immediately and immediately began to put it out with the fire extinguishers available. The fire brigade was called in as quickly as possible and was finally able to end the fire. The weather protection burned down completely. The police are now also on site for investigations and are investigating strangers.
>
>“We are appalled by this apparently deliberate arson attack against young climate activists. Most importantly, no one was injured in the process. Fortunately, activists always stay awake. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if everyone had slept. So far we can only puzzle over the motive behind this malicious act. Whoever is responsible for this must have known that there were people in the weather protection. We are shocked, but we will not allow ourselves to be dissuaded from our goal. We are here because we are fighting for a climate-friendly world for everyone and against the megaproject city motorway ”, says Lena Schilling from the youth council, spokeswoman for LobauBleibt.
>
>Photos of the fire and of the LobauBleibt movement can be found here on Flickr for free editorial use (if credit is given).
I don't know why but many Western environment against groups really don‘t like police, army and government officers. Maybe something like that can change their views.
Coming up on my second month now, but it feels like I’ve been here over a year. Previously, I was bartending at a upscale restaurant a year before the ‘vid happened and a few months after everything started to reopen. Tips weren’t the same so I decided to check out other places. I came across this dive with an upstairs jazz lounge that’s been opened since the 50’s on indeed so I decided to apply and within 30 minutes, I had an interview. Interview went great, I got hired on the spot and I started with 4 shifts off the bat.
Here’s when things started to get..odd. I always worked the downstairs bar and one night, the owner was there having a few drinks and he asked if I ever seen the upstairs bar, as it’s only opened a couple days a week. As he’s giving me the tour, he begins to explain how he’s losing money up there and that ever since his previous bar manager left after covid, it’s been going downhill. I mentioned to him that the upstairs venue is an excellent place, and there’s no reason to cannibalize sales by serving the same stuff that you can get downstairs. That we should introduce a cocktail lounge upstairs since it serves the right clientele. That’s when I get offered the management position. I take some time to deliberate since I realize what that means. Besides creating a cocktail program while managing the downstairs bar, he also put me to the task of “plugging up the holes so the ship doesn’t sink”, which basically meant getting rid of staff who over pour, or steal in general. This involved me getting rid of the person who initially interviewed me and hired me. Fast forward a month, I’ve been working six days a week and meeting with vendors on my days off. I’m exhausted but I know after New Years, life won’t be so hard as we get into the slow season. My question to this community is, how do you manage work life balance while taking on a project this big, and also, is this even feasible?
BBC News - Several injured in knife and arson attack on Tokyo underground train https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59103664
