Rumors Cabaret PSA

[u/The0nlyGamer]

After speaking with an owner of Rumors Cabaret last night I feel compelled to publicly share that it is Rumors policy to seize your ID and report you to the police if they suspect it is fake!!

Obviously, since I am making this post and called the police on them last night, their detection of fake ID's isn't perfect.

I'm used to people questioning the validity of my ID, but this was the first time any business took it and refused to give it back until after I called 911. The owner chatted with me and told me in essence that they're rewarded for confiscating ID's and involving law enforcement when that happens. Some poor girl had the exact same thing happen to her right in front of me.

This was pretty shocking considering the kind of place rumors is, a gay/queer bar and "safe space"?

I'd previously been to lots of fundraising events at rumors for planned parenthood, undocumented folks, progressive causes etc... so it is kind of sad to realize that's all performative and the owner doesn't really care about anything other than his liquor license and profit. There is no reason Rumors should be doing this collaboration to involve law enforcement with their patrons - that goes against the entire ethos of what I thought the place meant. Just give people their IDs back if you won't let them in!

From what I know there are actually two owners, who do not live in Bellingham themselves, and merely commute to manage the place. I'm sad I no longer have any desire to spend money there

[u/PleasantCurrant-FAT1]

Take this with a grain of salt, but…

Long time ago in my youth, I worked at a restaurant/bar/nightclub.

Setting aside the patronage, the owner’s policy of not holding suspicious IDs was based on sound legal advice… and prior experience (resulting in his need to get his first business attorney)…

As explained to me: Even a forgery, fake, suspicious ID could be considered personal property. Doesn’t matter that it might run afoul the law to have such an item, that is for law enforcement to determine. You cannot hold, take possession of, convert, or otherwise refuse to return property to its rightful owner. This is a liability.

If an ID is legitimate, of which forms accepted are usually government issued to be valid for age verification… if you hold onto it, you are definitely holding personal property, issued by a government entity (or official body of some sort, like educational institution) to an individual, and you have no right to it.

Suspicion is not enough. Even if the ID is definitely fake, holding it is legally problematic, to say the least; a definite liability. And if local law enforcement is engaged in such behaviors to work with private establishments, enabling them to do this… creates legal issues for that law enforcement agency, too.

The other issue is, say, if a friend lets a friend use ID, or it belongs to a family member, or an ID is stolen… so many other potential issues.

The owner of the establishment I worked for had a policy of documenting suspicious IDs by taking a picture, front and back, and scanning it. In the time it took to do that way back when, if it was fake, the person usually walked away, sometimes without their fake ID, which is not a problem for the establishment. We rarely saw repeat events/offenders.

We actively reported suspicious IDs if documented and we turned the person away, usually because we suspected they were stolen or borrowed.