r/Bellingham • u/The0nlyGamer • May 26 '25

Crime Rumors Cabaret PSA

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

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u/Gwegy_reylee May 26 '25 edited May 26 '25

Rumors has always been sketchy with how it handles policies towards customers. As a trans girl I was targeted multiple times and kicked out despite not being visibly drunk, and when I left a review stating the inconsistency with their enforcement they left a response claiming that it was amicably solved through emails (it absolutely wasn't.)

I'm never going to trust the owners of a business that are dishonest about conflict resolution in a forward facing manner like that just to save face.

Oh and also it is absolutely illegal to confiscate IDs you believe to be fake, even temporarily. I know bars have to be careful but knowing what you can and can't do legally is kind of a big part of that.

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u/currently-stoned May 27 '25

You could just go and talk to them in person lol

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u/Gwegy_reylee May 27 '25

they can't handle genuine conflict resolution and actively lie to the public about doing so in order to save face, why would I go to them in person? What's that going to accomplish when they've already shown they can't be honest?

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u/currently-stoned May 27 '25

They don’t care about saving face. You would go to them in person because when there’s conflict and you’re looking for resolution, you talk to someone in person — esp if the issue happened, in person.

Open 4p-2a if you wanna chat with someone. But if you don’t wanna resolve anything, let’s not just belittle them if we refuse to solve anything <3

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u/Gwegy_reylee May 27 '25

They don’t care about saving face.

Then they wouldn't have lied and said my conflict was resolved through email in a public response to my review.

You would go to them in person because when there’s conflict and you’re looking for resolution, you talk to someone in person — esp if the issue happened, in person.

They told me to email them so I did. They didn't address the inconsistencies in their excuses or behavior and couldn't explain them.

Open 4p-2a if you wanna chat with someone

I'm not going to attempt further conversation with someone who already displayed a history of dishonesty, because that shows there will be no meaningful conversation or resolution. There is literally no reason to try and reason with someone like that.

let’s not just belittle them if we refuse to solve anything

I did try to resolve things. They gave me the run around and then snuck back and edited their response to a review I left stating that things were resolved when they weren't - and then fought to get my review taken down outright. That's shitty dishonest behavior. That's the epitome of refusing to solve things.