No shoes, no shirt, no problem? It’s more like shoes, shirts and problems on the Corner this week as flurries of heated debate and media coverage zero in on Jabberwocky, the restaurant-by-day, bar-by-night University hotspot where a newly implemented dress code has raised quite a few eyebrows in recent months.
The dress code, established in late 2006, prohibited articles of clothing such as plain white t-shirts, baggy pants, brimless hats, sweatpants and camouflage (exceptions are made for the camo, of course, if an official member of the Armed Forces is sporting the earth-toned threads).
And herein lies the rub: Many Jabberwocky patrons find the establishment’s checklist of outlawed outfits to be inherently racist. “Jab” owner Anderson McClure denied these allegations and told The Cavalier Daily that the purpose of the policy was to prevent violent behavior he found to be associated with customers who “dressed a particular way.”
The controversy came to a head last Wednesday when McClure organized an open forum where students and community members could voice their concerns. The meeting concluded with McClure—after several long months of standing firm behind his policy—agreeing to dispose of the controversial clothing restrictions.
After weeks of relentless news reports and op-ed pieces on the issue, it looks like Cav Daily may have some extra space to fill in its next issue—that is, unless some unfortunate Corner establishment enacts a ban on orange bowties or Rainbow flip-flops. God forbid.
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