Asked to leave Public House

Rich

Rich

The Living Force
About a month ago I went into this pub near where I currently live. It is quite a quiet well-to-do area that has reasonable transport links up to London. I've been living there just under a year and to get to know the area and the community, I started dropping into this Pub. I liked it because it was just on the outskirts of the main high street and very traditional in terms of what one might expect for a small Pub.

I had been in about four or five times for a cup of tea which I would take outside to their beer garden which was a raised patio area at the back of the pub. I liked the fact that you could smoke out there, sit down and enjoy the view of a town-house where someone had put a rather large fibreglass Cow on the roof. Apparently it was making reference to the area once being a farmers market. The sixth time I went in the pub was quiet with just two 10 year old boys wandering around, the landlord who is 60ish and disabled, standing behind the bar and a middle aged guy nearby.

Before I had a chance to say anything, the landlord told me I wasn’t welcome and should leave. I was very surprised and really didn’t understand so just stood in the same spot with a puzzled expression. He then asked me to leave again and that he’d asked me a few times and had refused to leave. He said he knew I was a member of the nearby gym and had been a few times for a massage.

This was true, I had. but he also said something that I didn’t really undertand but think was an accusation of poor behaviour that had been reported to him. What that was I’m not sure but left me thinking that someone had been making up stories. He then started speaking to the Police on his mobile phone. He was informing them that this guy (me) wasn’t welcome, had been asked to leave but refused. At the same time the other guy repeated the landlords views to me, supported him and took a photo of me with his camera. He also said a word that I really didn’t understand.

I think it was something like I was spoiling the convivial atmosphere and he didnt’t like it when I told him I hadn’t heard that word bebore and was interested to know what it was. Still not really understanding what they were on about I turned, left and walked back to my flat. It was strange and had left me feeling irritated and confused. I couldn’t recall having ever being asked to leave anywhere. After a while I did tell those I spoke to what had happened and they just suggested that they had mistaken my identity. I never went back and instead have been to a larger and nicer pub nearby.

What I don’t know is who had started the rumor. I also haven’t been back to the gym. I did speak to my housing support worker about it and she recalled that when she was previously a Police Officer in the town they did have issues with the Pub for drug dealing. For those of you interested in symbology, opposite the pub is the local museum and behind glass casing is an old cannon pointing directly at the pub. When I saw it I just thought that the pub clearly has no future and will reach a rather fatal demise on its own accord. I suppose it is a useful reminder to be on ones guard and not put oneself in risky situations.
 
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Why to go Rich. You handled this very well IMHO.

Small town's, and smaller villages to tend have a gossip, or rumor mill's. Some of it is pretty harmless, while others like the attention's of telling lie's.

People hear of or see of situations that can be interpreted many different ways, especially if it's by those that tend to judge a book by it's cover.

As the old adage goes, do a million good deed's and nobody notice's. F-up once, and the gossip spreads like wild fire.

C'est la vie!
 
Really strange thing to happen unless they thought you were smoking something stronger than cigarettes outside. IMO you did the right thing leaving and you did well not to argue with them as it sounds pretty unjust.
Years ago the pubs used to have pictures of people who were known to have caused trouble, taken drugs or drunk and disorderly etc.They called it pub watch and if you were on the list you wouldn’t be served or let in.
Not saying that you were on it but strange you were asked to leave for no apparent reason. Plenty of other places for you and ther loss! Strange people!
 
Rich said:
About a month ago I went into this pub near where I currently live. It is quite a quiet well-to-do area that has reasonable transport links up to London. I've been living there just under a year and to get to know the area and the community, I started dropping into this Pub. I liked it because it was just on the outskirts of the main high street and very traditional in terms of what one might expect for a small Pub.

I had been in about four or five times for a cup of tea which I would take outside to their beer garden which was a raised patio area at the back of the pub. I liked the fact that you could smoke out there, sit down and enjoy the view of a town-house where someone had put a rather large fibreglass Cow on the roof. Apparently it was making reference to the area once being a farmers market. The sixth time I went in the pub was quiet with just two 10 year old boys wandering around, the landlord who is 60ish and disabled, standing behind the bar and a middle aged guy nearby.

Before I had a chance to say anything, the landlord told me I wasn’t welcome and should leave. I was very surprised and really didn’t understand so just stood in the same spot with a puzzled expression. He then asked me to leave again and that he’d asked me a few times and had refused to leave. He said he knew I was a member of the nearby gym and had been a few times for a massage.
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If there had been issues with the small Pub in the past for drugs and drug dealing, the landlord and middle aged guy might have suspected you were an undercover drug and alcohol Officer?

* "It is quite a quiet well-to-do area"

* "I've been living there just under a year"

* "I had been in about four or five times for a cup of tea"

* The sixth time I went in the pub was quiet"

Most people, when they visit a pub, generally order a draft Beer or alcoholic drink. You chose tea, a non-alcoholic beverage.

You moved to the Community, less than a year ago and the small Pub is in the same general area. During that time, you have visited the Pub - 5 times (on average - once every 4-6 weeks) and I'm assuming - alone, without a companion or friend. In your sixth visit, the Pub was quiet. Again, I'm assuming your visit was during a time, when business is slow, not during the customary "Happy Hour" later in the day/night time hours?

Add to that, it's customary for all Law Enforcement Agencies, to keep their personnel in physical shape, to meet the demands of their profession. Many have memberships in gyms.

For how innocent - your behavior and activities might have been, it seems that the Pub's landlord and the middle age guy are acting a bit too "paranoid" - like they have something to hide? Whatever the reason - best to stay away?
 
I myself have had similar strange parochial experiences when traversing our Rainy little Island... It does still have some peculiar inverted pockets :huh:

I am often reminded of those classic "League of Gentleman" sketches:

In some ways, I do like the fact there are such peculiarities throughout the land, even if a negative and a hindrance (though, obviously not burning people!) It means the soulless corporate 'carte blanche' of sterile assimilation has yet won out its stretched forth lifeless fingers yonder.
 
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There is something odd about this sentence - that I kept coming back to - when reading about what happened?

Rich said:
He said he knew I was a member of the nearby gym and had been a few times for a massage.
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Why would the Pub's landlord be concerned "that you were a member of the nearby gym"? Both the Pub and the gym are located in the same well-to-do neighborhood and what business is it to them, where and what you do? It's really none of their business!

I wonder, if the owner of the gym might be related to the pub landlord and one or both business's are being used as "Fronts" to launder drug money? They might be so paranoid that they have you pegged as a possible undercover Agent? To add fuel to the fire, your housing support worker was a former Police Officer for the town! This is starting to sound like something out of the Twilight Zone?

Unfortunately, through no fault of your own, it seems like you have innocently stumbled into something, operating under the radar? I think, you did the right thing, for safety sake, by going to a different Pub and stopping membership in the gym.

Maybe someday, one or both places will get raided and you will finally have your answers, as to why you were treated so badly?
 
angelburst29 said:
There is something odd about this sentence - that I kept coming back to - when Unfortunately, through no fault of your own, it seems like you have innocently stumbled into something, operating under the radar? I think, you did the right thing, for safety sake, by going to a different Pub and stopping membership in the gym.
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Thanks angelburst29. It is odd yes but I think maybe nothing more than the town being a little clique in places. Only today I stopped the gym membership. I had to phone an external agency who told me that It would take a month to cancel so I may drop in a couple of times before the month runs out. Will see. :)
 
Hi Rich, what a disturbing experience. I think angelburst is really on to something and it gives me the creeps. I was asked to leave a bar under unusual circumstances once. My partner and I where new to the city (Denver Co.) and decided to get dressed up and have a night out on the town. Our first stop was a bar near our apartment which was really a dive, rather slummy but we wanted to check it out. Upon entering the bartender, a middle aged woman perhaps the owner, approached us and told us we had to leave. It was pretty confusing. She was insistent that we leave without giving an explanation so we left. The only thing we could figure was we looked to good to be there :shock:.
I don't know, its the only thing I could think of.

The people you describe do sound paranoid and something may come up later on.
 
I realize I'm writing this a bit late, but here it is. I think it's quite unfortunate that these people didn't explain what the problem was, even when you asked. But if that's the case, then it's really their problem and not yours. So I would avoid giving much thought to the 'why' - no point in ruminating on something you were not given enough information about. You will not find the answer and you will just waste time and energy, so I suggest to just let it go if you can.
 
c.a. said:
Why to go Rich. You handled this very well IMHO.

Small town's, and smaller villages to tend have a gossip, or rumor mill's. Some of it is pretty harmless, while others like the attention's of telling lie's.

People hear of or see of situations that can be interpreted many different ways, especially if it's by those that tend to judge a book by it's cover.

As the old adage goes, do a million good deed's and nobody notice's. F-up once, and the gossip spreads like wild fire.

C'est la vie!
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I'm with you on this one c.a..

I don't want to come off elitist as education does not automatically signify that a person can think rationally. However I have relatives who are farmers which implies living (in the main) in a closed social group. The form of reasoning and their version of logic at times made me think they were all crazy (or perhaps I am). If you run into the wrong people and get a sense that their thinking is different from yours just walk on. No sense wasting too much of your Life Energy.

Beware :-)
Dunning-Kruger Effect
 
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Rich said:
Thanks angelburst29. It is odd yes but I think maybe nothing more than the town being a little clique in places. Only today I stopped the gym membership. I had to phone an external agency who told me that It would take a month to cancel so I may drop in a couple of times before the month runs out. Will see. :)
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Pretty weird experience. I'd want to get to the bottom of it, so the first thing I'd do is go the gym and tell the manager or massage therapist that the owner of the pub apparently knows when I go to the gym and what I do there, and ask if they know how he could possibly know that.
 
Joe said:
Pretty weird experience. I'd want to get to the bottom of it, so the first thing I'd do is go the gym and tell the manager or massage therapist that the owner of the pub apparently knows when I go to the gym and what I do there, and ask if they know how he could possibly know that.
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I second - that opinion!

The question still remains, " What does your (paid) Membership in the gym have to do with you occasionally dropping into the pub, as a customer? Both - are legal!

Rich said:
I did speak to my housing support worker about it and she recalled that when she was previously a Police Officer in the town they did have issues with the Pub for drug dealing.
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The situation that you are dealing with, might primarily be centered around the former Police Officer and you're getting some kind of flashback, due to association? There might have been more than drug dealing issues going on? But even that comes off being really paranoid? Why target - you? Are you in Law enforcement, yourself or employed in the Legal system?

P.S. Please note: You are under "no obligation" to answer that last question in this Forum, due to privacy issues but on a personal level, your employment might be another angle to look at' in solving this puzzle?
 
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