Owners of the U Street “sports bar of political affairs” made the decision to drop the mascots following online hate over the inclusion of the GOP elephant in an area dominated by liberals and gay bars.
“Because D.C. is such a political city I thought that it just made sense,” Andrew Benbow, who identifies as a centrist Republican and opened the bar with his Democratic partner Sydney Bradford, told FOX 5 DC. “It was very apropos that we set up a political bar in Washington, D.C. … Little did we know.”
DC BAR FACING BACKLASH 🍸🇺🇸
Political Pattie’s on U Street in NW had a donkey and elephant painted on the outside to represent both democrats and republicans. However, many took issue with the GOP elephant and now the business painted over the logo to stop any further… pic.twitter.com/DqgXyB6kov
— Sierra Fox (@thesierrafox) September 26, 2024
The goal of the bar was to develop a “safe space” for people to come and have political discourse, according to Bradford.
“It’s really important for folks to know that we also, though, don’t support the debating [of] anyone’s existence,” she said. “We don’t support any discrimination of any kind. Frankly, that is not going to be tolerated here at Pattie’s.”
Imagery is powerful, according to the owners, and both Benbow and Bradford chose to paint over the elephant and donkey when the former made online commentators uncomfortable.
“It may just look like a GOP elephant to some people, but to others, they might have a real visceral reaction to it that makes them feel unsafe,” Bradford said.
Despite axing the logos, Benbow said the city still needs a place where people of all views can get together.
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“If we can be of differing political views and still fall in love, surely, two people of two completely [differing] worldviews can come together and have a conversation and get to learn each other,” he said. “I think it’s important for both sides to be represented.”
The logo outside Political Pattie’s simply reads “Pattie’s Bar.”
