The first complaint filed under an amended Athens-Clarke County ordinance aimed primarily at addressing reported discrimination in downtown Athens bars alleges that 9d’s Bar on East Clayton Street improperly denied entry to a black man last month.

According to a news release from the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, which worked to get the ordinance amendments passed in November, and is also acting on its own to address issues of discrimination in businesses across the community, 9d’s Bar employees failed to produce a copy of a dress code that they alleged had been violated by Kendrick Bullock, brother of local activist Broderick Flanigan.

Flanigan recorded the April 1 incident, and the two-minute video sh0ws that Bullock was denied entry into the bar on the basis of the saggy pants he was wearing. Flanigan and Bullock had been in downtown Athens to watch a televised basketball game, and went to 9d’s after the game with friends, where Bullock was stopped at the door while Flanigan and the others went into the bar.

According to Flanigan’s narration of the video, 9d’s was displaying a sign indicating that its dress code was strictly enforced. Flanigan goes on to point out, however, that contrary to provisions of the amended ordinance, the bar was not displaying its specific dress code.

Under the amendments to the county’s alcohol-licensing ordinances approved by commissioners in November, bars in downtown Athens and throughout the community are required to post signs detailing their dress codes, providing information on private parties scheduled for their establishments, and providing contact information for the county attorney’s office, where complaints of alleged discriminatory practices can be filed.

The ordinance amendments largely are the result of an anonymous online survey conducted 1n 2015 through the University of Georgia Student Government Association. The survey produced anecdotes describing how some downtown bars used unevenly enforced dress codes, dubious claims of hosting private parties, and outright denial of admission to keep minorities and homosexuals out of their establishments.

Also contributing to the local government’s move to address alleged discrimination in downtown bar admissions was the 2015 discovery of a drink menu in a downtown bar that included a racially insensitive drink called a "N*****ita," which included watermelon juice and tequila.

Athens-Clarke County Attorney Bill Berryman confirmed earlier this week that his office had received a complaint regarding alleged discrimination in a downtown bar, and is investigating the incident. If there is evidence sufficient to proceed beyond that stage, 9d’s owner Mark Bell would be summoned for an initial appearance in front of the Municipal Court judge, acting as an administrative hearing officer.

It’s possible, according to Berryman, that some resolution could be reached at that point, but if not, the matter would proceed to a formal hearing in front of the administrative hearing officer.

Violations of the anti-discrimination provisions of the alcohol ordinance are subject to penalities including revocation, suspension or denial of an alcohol license.

Bullock is being represented by two local attorneys, Ken Dious and Ryan Heron, who serves as counsel for the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, in connection with 9d’s Bar’s alleged violation of the anti-discrimination provisions of the alcohol ordinance.

At a Tuesday news conference announcing the filing of the complaint, Dious hinted that Bullock’s case might go beyond concerns related to the alleged ordinance violations.

It’s possible, Dious said, that Bullock’s case will go on "to challenge the statute itself," potentially taking the ordinance amendments into the federal court system.

Also at the news conference, Heron contended that the AADM has received a number of complaints of violations of the anti-discrimination provisions of the alcohol ordinance, but those people have been reluctant to take those complaints to the county attorney’s office for fear of retaliation or retribution.

Heron went on to allege that Bullock’s situation did not arise "because there was a dress code, and not because he did not meet it, but simply because he was black."

Bell could not be reached immediately Wednesday for comment, but in online postings attached to a story in local alternative weekly Flagpole Magazine on the complaint filed with the county attorney’s office, he argues that Bullock was denied entry to 9d’s on the basis of his attire, not his color.

Bell also contends that notification from the county regarding the ordinance amendments did not include an effective date. According to Berryman, local ordinance amendments routinely become effective when they are signed by the mayor, usually soon after the amendments are approved by the commission.