BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new bar seeking to name itself after one of the nation's first free black communities is being opposed by locals who called the move "disrespectful."
The bar and lounge planned inside soon-to-open Bed-Stuy Hotel RL received pushback from some residents who called the proposal to name it "Weeksville" — a central Brooklyn community founded by former slaves — inappropriate.
“The reason that we’re thinking about going with the name ‘Weeksville’ is that it’s based off of community, one of the first self-sustainable black communities in America,” Hotel RL general manager Michael Melendez said at a Bedford-Stuyvesant community board meeting Monday, prompting murmurs from the crowd.
“They came in, they handled their own stuff, they grew as a community. They provided to their own community, took care of themselves and ... to Hotel RL that’s important.”
Hotel RL, which is opening at 1080 Broadway by Red Lion Hotels Corporation, will start taking reservations for stays in the 70-room building starting Feb. 1, 2017, according to its website.
The hotel sought the green light for a liquor license from Brooklyn’s Community Board 3 for its bar, but the proposed name struck a chord with some meeting attendees and board members.
“Change it,” one resident commented, after Melendez said the name is not finalized, while others called it “disrespectful.”
Located in central Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights neighborhoods, Weeksville was an African-American community founded by freedmen in the 19th century following the abolition of slavery in New York.
Currently, Weeksville Heritage Center, a complex showcasing the area’s history, is open to the public in Crown Heights.
“I think Weeksville as the name of the bar is a very bad idea,” CB3 board member Gregory Glasgow said.
“I strongly suggest that you go back to the owner about not using that name for profit,” added board member Taina Evans, who said the bar could be confused with the heritage center.
Evans suggested hotel representatives create a community survey for feedback on the name, which Melendez called a “great idea.”
The general manager described the hotel as a “public space with some guest rooms upstairs,” saying that the building will have areas open to the public with free Wi-Fi and seating.
A live performance stage will also provide a platform for artists and presentations.
The hotel is expected to bring up to 30 jobs to the neighborhood, Melendez noted, and the company looks to hire locally.
In addition to the bar, which would “add to the ambience of the space,” Hotel RL would provide “grab-and-go” foods, flatbread pizzas and coffee.
As part of Red Lion Hotels Corporation, the hotel would look to implement “Project Wake Up Call,” an initiative that partners with local nonprofits to help the neighborhood’s homeless population.
Through the program, customers can make donations to the hotel, which are given to partner groups.
Some residents expressed worries that a new hotel would become another homeless shelter.
“What happens to them when there are no tourists?” asked CB3 board member Michael McCaw.
“What’s happening is these hotels are going to turn into shelters, that’s what’s going to happen, because our neighborhood is being saturated.”
Community Board 3’s full board rejected the request for a letter of support for the bar's liquor licenses with an 18 to 12 vote, with three abstentions. The State Liquor Authority will have final say over the application.
A hotel representative did not immediately respond to request for comment on future plans for the bar's name.
