MARCH 19, 1993 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Owner says Interbelt to stay open; safe for gay crowd

by Jerry Kaiser

AKRON BUREAU

The Interbelt Nite Club was in the news last month when a shooting took place outside the club that killed an Akron policeman's son. The publicity surrounding the incident could distort the gay club's reputation and atmosphere and overlook its owner's efforts to protect patrons from violence and homophobia.

The six-year-old Interbelt, at 70 N. Howard St, started out as an all-gay club. Later, Tuesdays and Thursdays were set up as straight nights catering to a black crowd, sponsored by WZAK 93 FM. Until further notice, the club is closed on the Tuesday and Thursday straight nights.

At 1:15 on the morning of Feb. 17, despite the presence of 18 police and security people, a fight broke out in the club. Police have attributed the cause to rival Cleveland and Akron patrons. According to owner Vern Baker, the house rule is that whenever there is a fight, the club is closed and patrons moved outside, and that's what happened.

While the fight continued outside the bar, as many as five shots were fired, one of them striking and killing 21-year-old Prescott Prade. Witnesses said that Prade, an Akron police lieutenant's son, was an innocent bystander moving away from the fracas when he was shot. Police arrested Rasyllullah Abdyl Pillow, 22, of E. 112th St., Cleveland, as he attempted to drive away with a 9mm handgun on the seat next

to him. According to reports, he was not part of the original fight. Later he was charged with aggravated murder.

The club's owner is concerned that distorted messages are reaching the community. He has now temporarily closed the club on Tuesday and Thursday nights but on other nights, Interbelt is open and gay. And he points out that safety has never been an issue and he never had to close the club on gay nights. He explained that he only maintains three security people on those nights. On the straight nights he employs three Akron police, six of his own security people, and a metal detector to keep things under control.

Gays are the club's top priority, and the Interbelt is a gay business, according to Baker. He started the two straight nights to supplement his business.

He's very careful to prevent overlapping between the gay and the straight night crowds and so far this has not been a problem. "The main thing is safety to all our patrons," he said.

Like anywhere else, the possibility of gay bashing or other hate crimes exists but Interbelt's security and guarded parking lot keep incidents at a minimum. Baker recalls perhaps five or six hate crimes in the club's history.

Overall the Interbelt contends that it offers a safe environment for its gay and lesbian patrons and is not the "problem bar" that has been suggested in recent press articles.

Monotones to sponsor auto navigation competition

The Monotones have expanded their offerings of fun community events by announcing plans for a Fun Rallye and Poker Run. The event, open to all in the community, both couples and singles, will be held on Sunday, May 2. Registration will be from 11:00 A.M. to noon in the front parking lot at Chi-Chi's Mexican Restaurant at I-77 and Rockside Road in Independence.

Monotones, Northeast Ohio's social group for monogamous gay and lesbian couples, is quickly getting a reputation in the community for sponsoring fun and popular events. They recently won "Best Mixed Group" in the Chronicle's Community Service Awards, in part because of their Fall Hayride. Last year's hayride broke all prior years' attendance records.

Although the community enjoys the different kinds of events that the Monotones sponsor, not everyone is familiar with the idea of a fun rally. Monotone membercouple and rally coordinators Rich and Don described this new event. "It is a driving contest where each participating car, containing a team composed of a driver and a navigator, attempt to follow a series of specific written directions from the starting point to a known ending point." They added that "the challenge is that not all the directions give a street name. You may be asked to count stop signs and turn right at the third one. That's the fun part!" They were also quick to point out the differences between a rally and a race. "It is important to follow all traffic laws when running a rally. A rally is not a race, it is a fun event. No special sports car is needed--any tar with a working speedometer will do.'

John A. Barrick and Gregory A. Campbell, rally committee members, suntmarized the event. "We'll be watching the teams to see if they follow the correct route. Checkpoints will be set up along the route to verify this" they said. "The route in-

cludes a scenic tour of the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. Then, after discovering some of downtown Cleveland's hidden secrets, it ends at the Avenue at Tower City Center."

Along the two-to-three hour drive, the rally directions will also contain questions for each team to answer, using some of these landmarks. The rally directions will also contain questions for each team to answer, using some of these landmarks. At the checkpoints, teams will stop their cars to get a card for their poker hand.

At the rally's end at Tower City, teams will meet in the food court. There, they are able to purchase a meal or refreshments and share rally experiences with other teams. When all teams find their way to the end, prizes will be awarded. The prizes are for the team with the best poker hand and the team with the most correct questions answered. After the awards, the teams can enjoy shopping in the many fine stores of the Avenue at Tower City Center.

Admission to the event is $8 per car in advance, and $10 per car the day of the event. Rallye committee member Armaida stated that "admission includes a complimentary photo of each team and their car, as well as light refreshments at one of the checkpoints."

Tickets are available at the Mix Drinkery, or from any Monotone member, or by mail at P.O. Box 771102, Lakewood, 44107. For more information about the rally and for current ticket availability, contact the Monotones at 734-7980.

John and Greg, who also worked on last fall's Hayride, had one last word for interested teams: "This is expected to popular event. Don't wait until the last minute for tickets and risk missing this event." For membership information in the Monotones, write to P.O. Box 77,1102, Lakewood, 44107 or call 734-7980.

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