Woman Says She Was Kicked Out of Indy Bar

Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — A woman says she was kicked out of a local bar for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. The bar, however, says she was harassing an employee.

Elise Hensley and her friends visited the Chatterbox jazz bar Friday night, a spot they had frequented before. This time, a few of them wore hats supporting President Donald Trump.

“We went up to the bar, and before we could even speak or order a drink, he looked at me and said, ‘No,’” Hensley said. “I said, ‘Excuse me?’ He said, ‘Absolutely not. Your hat. You need to leave right now.’”

Hensley left the bar but returned shortly after to ask why she was kicked out. She filmed the interaction and later posted the video on Facebook, where it went viral and was shared by Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith.

In the video, Hensley asks, “Hey, I have a question,” to which a bartender responds, “No. We aren’t answering any questions.”

The video shows the bartender repeatedly telling Hensley to leave because of her hat, with another bartender saying, “We can call the police, or you can just leave.” Hensley left shortly afterward.

“I wore that hat because I do love our President of the United States,” Hensley told WISH-TV. “He is our president. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wearing a Trump hat.”

Chatterbox did not respond to a request for an interview but stated on Instagram. The bar said Hensley and her group misgendered and harassed an employee, which led to them being asked to leave. The bar also claimed they continued to verbally assault patrons and staff, threatened the establishment, and later returned to film a video shared on social media.

“We do not tolerate dehumanizing or disrespectful language or symbolism in our establishment,” the statement said. “We have a right, by law, to refuse service to anyone who disrupts our business.”