Oakland APAs Fight to Keep ‘Offensive’ Bar Out of their Neighborhood

This article is being reposted under an agreement with Pacific Citizen

APA leaders say Oakland’s Geisha bar is adjacent to a child care facility and sends a negative message.

By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Published October 21, 2009

Asian Pacific Americans in Northern California expressed disappointment after an “unfortunately named” bar received the city’s OK to operate.

The Oakland Planning Commission granted the Geisha bar on 316 14th Street in Oakland, Calif. an operating permit on Oct. 7. APAs say the “racist” and “sexist” name ultimately contributes to societal violence and the harassment of women and minorities.

Opponents of the bar say they do not have any plans for future protest. But they say the commission’s decision shows that society is not ready to talk about systemic racism and sexism.

“We walk by it every day to work,” said Diana Pei Wu, who is a visiting fellow at Amherst College and a past ethnic studies lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. “Allowing racist names in our community would contribute to violence in our community. This is another kind of violence that needs to be taken seriously.”

Pei Wu, who is Chinese American, was part of a community coalition of about 30-40 people that worked to bring attention to the new bar. They had hoped to sway the commissioners to deny the Geisha bar an operating permit.

But on Oct. 7, four planning commissioners voted in favor, one voted against, one abstained and one commissioner was absent.

“It would have been ideal for the residents and the bar owner to have discussed the matter earlier on,” Commissioner Vien Truong wrote in an e-mail. Truong voted against granting the operating permit.

“The owner has stated that he has since invested much of his savings into the bar and the theme of the bar (geishas). At this point, it will be more expensive to change the name and retroactively address the issue,” Truong said.

Pei Wu and others said they understand the owners have invested time, money and energy into a new business venture. But they say the community’s well-being should take precedence over one person’s investment.

“I don’t have any personal animosity toward the owner,” Pei Wu explained. “My parents are small business owners. I know how hard it is to run a business, especially a small business. I know how much energy you put into building a business. But that shouldn’t come at the expense of young women and girls.”

Bar owner Jamal Perry was unavailable for comment. His girlfriend said he is dealing with the recent death of his father.

“He [Perry] has a longstanding interest in Japanese history and the art of the geisha and this is the reason he chose the name,” said Perry’s girlfriend Katie Massie in an e-mail to the Pacific Citizen. “He has done extensive research on geishas and he has no intention to spread negative stereotypes about geishas or about Asian women.”

Community: Not in Our Backyard!

Those that live and work near the new Geisha bar site acknowledge that there are larger societal issues to battle with such as health care and affordable housing, but they had hoped a “progressive” city like Oakland would understand their concerns with naming a bar Geisha.

“One reason we went to speak in front of the planning commission is because we thought that there was a good chance the commission would take a stand,” said Wu, who lives in Oakland. “Unfortunately we were wrong.”

She said the fact that the owners have invested money is inconsequential.

“He says, ‘Oh yeah I already spent the money,” said Wu, who is not related to Diana Pei Wu. “Well, I’m sorry you should have listened to community’s concern. We’re not trying to be mean, we’re not trying to be antagonistic. He basically walked into our backyard and dumped a lot of garbage.”

On Oct. 7, Perry told the commission that community groups have acted “unfairly” and misled the public about his intentions to open a geisha-themed bar.

“At this point my family and I — we’re Oakland residents — have everything invested in this business,” he wrote. “We are completely depleted of all resources and without income. We cannot change the name of the business. We are already experiencing undue hardship and we are trying our hardest not to be victims of the economy.”

The Issue of Perception  

Historically, Geishas in Japan were entertainers who were trained from a very young age and lived in okiyas, or geisha houses. The term dates back hundreds of years. Geishas would play instruments or dance at social gatherings. Community members in Oakland say many are misinformed about the geishas’ history.

“The people who own the Geisha bar will say geishas historically were not necessarily prostitutes,” Wu said. “The issue is the perception [of geishas] in this country. The fact is a lot of people do perceive geishas as being sexualized. They also perceive Asian women in some kind of inappropriate sexual way as well.”

The Geisha bar, which plans to also serve food, will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, according to the commission’s case file.

Perry plans on having live entertainment at his 4,000-square-foot bar in Oakland. That would require a Cabaret License Permit. He plans, according to his application, to hire 22 employees at the ground-floor location.

This is not the first geisha-themed bar in the nation or in California. Celebrities often frequent the Japanese-themed Geisha House in Los Angeles, Calif. The Dolce Group, which owns the L.A.-based restaurant, also owns Geisha House eateries in Santa Ana and Atlanta, Ga. Other geisha restaurants exist all over the country.

The bar in Oakland, community groups say, is adjacent to a child care facility. They say they hope young girls in the area are not negatively impacted by images the Geisha bar portrays.

“We don’t want young girls to grow up thinking it’s OK to sell alcohol based on sexualizing women. We think that’s a bad message for them.” Wu said.

In a letter to the commission, Pei Wu said the perpetuation of stereotypes like the “geisha” colors public perception of APA women and could eventually lead to sexual harassment and mental illness, among other things.

Pei Wu said she does not plan on being a Geisha bar patron.

“Everyone — the owner, the commission and the residents — want the business to thrive,” Truong explained. “The testimony by the residents in opposition to the name indicates they would have been happy patrons, rather than opponents, had they been able to resolve this issue.”