With Eyes Wide Open...
my apartment in fayetteville only has one internet connection, it's downstairs, and already in use by one of my roommate's computers. I had wanted to attach a photo with this post, but will be unable to do so until i receive my school money and can afford wireless connection.
My beloved club, Studio 716, here in Fayetteville, Arkansas has been burned to the ground by some unknown force of hatred. While the club has only existed under this alias for a little over one year, it had been known as the Sycamore Pub many years ago. So eventhough the club is new it's been a gay...alternative establishment long before I started attending school here--which is going on four years. Last Friday, I went to the club for what would be its last night in operation. It was a fairly small crowd, which picked up a little around midnight. I had imagined that Saturday would bring in larger numbers since everyone seemed to be doing something else friday. I stayed till about 1:30am, and then went over to some friends' houses, and returned home around 3:30am. I live almost directly across the street from the club, for what I thought would be one of the perks of living in my apartment, so I drove past it again on my way home and everything seemed fine.
I didn't wake up that Saturday until about 11am, when I was informed by one of my roommates that the club had burned to the ground. He said the fire must have happened around 6 or 7 in the morning, which was later confirmed to be around 7am. At first I was completely shocked, not really upset, almost entertained at the idea that the club went up in flames. "What a bazaar set of events? right?" I called some friends to see if they had heard, which I don't think anyone had, other than the owners and workers, because I only knew since I lived within view of the scene. I drove past on my way to do errands, and it surely had burned. The club shares half of a larger building with a hair salon. From what I could see, the salon wasn't affected by the fire, maybe smoke damage, but the walls solely devoted to the club had been completely burned away, leaving a completely black, smoldering cavity.
I became a little bummed out when it finally hit me that I wouldn't be able to go out dancing, or at least at a place where I can dance with other guys, but I figured I'd just go out with some friends to Dickson street and drink at the bars. The next morning i made a trip to buy a paper to read about the fire. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I waited to read what the authorities had determined the cause of the incident. Arson. or at least suspicious circumstances. The paper went on the say, and what was later confirmed by a friend, that a similar attempt to set the club on fire occurred last June on the night of the gay pride parade here in fayetteville. Had I known that, there wouldn't have been any doubt in my mind that the present incident was a direct attack on the club.
The whole situation completely confuses me. i would had thought if someone was going to try to set the place on fire, they would had done so when the club was first being established. why would someone still be upset about a gay club many many years later? I've always considered fayetteville to be the most liberal city in arkansas, the most tolerant, and the most fun, but nothing like this ever happens in little rock. The situation has gone from entertaining to sad. Someone robbed me, and the rest of the gay community, of its fun and spirit, and could possibly get away with it. I actually think they'll find out who did it, people can't keep their mouth's shut, but at the present, this definitely dampens everyone's summer. Fayetteville just isn't the place I thought it was, it can be just as backwards as any other place around here, and that's truly sad.
or maybe it was set on fire by the owners for insurance fraud
My beloved club, Studio 716, here in Fayetteville, Arkansas has been burned to the ground by some unknown force of hatred. While the club has only existed under this alias for a little over one year, it had been known as the Sycamore Pub many years ago. So eventhough the club is new it's been a gay...alternative establishment long before I started attending school here--which is going on four years. Last Friday, I went to the club for what would be its last night in operation. It was a fairly small crowd, which picked up a little around midnight. I had imagined that Saturday would bring in larger numbers since everyone seemed to be doing something else friday. I stayed till about 1:30am, and then went over to some friends' houses, and returned home around 3:30am. I live almost directly across the street from the club, for what I thought would be one of the perks of living in my apartment, so I drove past it again on my way home and everything seemed fine.
I didn't wake up that Saturday until about 11am, when I was informed by one of my roommates that the club had burned to the ground. He said the fire must have happened around 6 or 7 in the morning, which was later confirmed to be around 7am. At first I was completely shocked, not really upset, almost entertained at the idea that the club went up in flames. "What a bazaar set of events? right?" I called some friends to see if they had heard, which I don't think anyone had, other than the owners and workers, because I only knew since I lived within view of the scene. I drove past on my way to do errands, and it surely had burned. The club shares half of a larger building with a hair salon. From what I could see, the salon wasn't affected by the fire, maybe smoke damage, but the walls solely devoted to the club had been completely burned away, leaving a completely black, smoldering cavity.
I became a little bummed out when it finally hit me that I wouldn't be able to go out dancing, or at least at a place where I can dance with other guys, but I figured I'd just go out with some friends to Dickson street and drink at the bars. The next morning i made a trip to buy a paper to read about the fire. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I waited to read what the authorities had determined the cause of the incident. Arson. or at least suspicious circumstances. The paper went on the say, and what was later confirmed by a friend, that a similar attempt to set the club on fire occurred last June on the night of the gay pride parade here in fayetteville. Had I known that, there wouldn't have been any doubt in my mind that the present incident was a direct attack on the club.
The whole situation completely confuses me. i would had thought if someone was going to try to set the place on fire, they would had done so when the club was first being established. why would someone still be upset about a gay club many many years later? I've always considered fayetteville to be the most liberal city in arkansas, the most tolerant, and the most fun, but nothing like this ever happens in little rock. The situation has gone from entertaining to sad. Someone robbed me, and the rest of the gay community, of its fun and spirit, and could possibly get away with it. I actually think they'll find out who did it, people can't keep their mouth's shut, but at the present, this definitely dampens everyone's summer. Fayetteville just isn't the place I thought it was, it can be just as backwards as any other place around here, and that's truly sad.
or maybe it was set on fire by the owners for insurance fraud