A few years ago my business partner and I came together to create a space; not only in our beloved community Harlem but for the community. Three years later we have been honored to create this venue for our community in Harlem. In February 2018 we took a risk and opened up Hexagon Lounge in a low-trafficked and underutilized commercial space on 142nd Street. Since our opening, we have become more than a restaurant/lounge; it is a space where lasting relationships have been formed, where the community celebrated the highs and mourned the lows. Artists ranging from our local churches and neighborhood stars to well-known musicians like India Arie have performed. Hexagon has also hosted game nights, poetry nights, and have open our spaces to our politicians to share their ideas for a better Harlem. We have shared our Haitian culture through food and music with the Harlem community and the beautiful black diaspora who calls Harlem home have embraced us. Called the "Black Cheers" of Harlem, folks have come to unwind and the amazing staff know how to make every single patron feel like they belong at Hexagon; regardless of income or race. Our patrons, many of whom are longtime residents of Harlem, have fought alongside us to make sure our establishment is in for the long run. This is because they enjoy the space for the community and appreciate that we took the risk to create a great place for them. 

Our ethos has always been about bringing folks together. However, over the past year, we have run into multiple crisis situations. This includes incoherent and disorganized policies by the State/City that has caused this small black-owned business, along with many others throughout the city to spend money and time prepping for the next strange rule that they would declare that week (e.g., implementing outside only dining in the middle of the winter, discontinuing bathroom use; canceling our annual Thanksgiving turkey drive when our community needed it the most). All of this without any Covid aide. We are all trying to do the right thing by our community and customers to keep them healthy and safe. Sadly, we have also experienced some of the ugly reality of gentrification. Hexagon is a licensed commercial space and follows all rules and regulations. We have been good community citizens, however the residents who chose to live in here, some of who don't understand the cultural history of this neighborhood, have continually harassed my business with unfounded complaints by calling the NYPD an unconscionable number of times. They have lodged multiple unfounded complaints about Hexagon. We have tried mediation and reason. We have even given specific residents our personal phone numbers to contact us if they have any complaints or concerns. But this was to no avail. They repeatedly called law enforcement for every perceived inconvenience of living in a city. As a result, my business has been penalized. As a trail of unfounded and unreasonable complaints racked up, this has now collided into the realities of the pandemic - the SLA saw this paper trail and temporarily suspended our liquor license. I am asking for the community's support to preserve what we have built and not let it be destroyed by those who do not like the expression of black community joy. Please sign this petition to support Hexagon Lounge in its continued operation and repudiate the members of our community who do not want our community spaces to thrive. Thank you in advance for your continued support.