Bar puts sign up saying victims of domestic abuse aren’t welcome, Illinois photo shows
A bar in Illinois apologized after a photo of its bar sign welcoming domestic abusers drew criticism on social media.
Mulligan’s Pub and Grill in Rockford put up a chalkboard sign that read: “If you have an O/P (order of protection) against your ex – he’s welcome. Your not.” and was signed “HH,” according to a Facebook photo shared on Tuesday, Dec. 13 by Women’s March Rockford.
Mulligan’s Pub and Grill did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ Dec. 14 requests for comment.
An order of protection is “a court order which restricts an abuser and only is available to family or household members,” according to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act per the state’s attorney general.
It’s unclear who originally shared the photo. Facebook commenters said the bar originally posted the photo and later took it down. An unnamed bar employee told WTVO the photo was originally posted by someone else who “tagged” the bar.
WTVO and Women’s March Rockford group on Facebook reported the man in the photo is the bar’s owner.
The photo drew backlash on Facebook. Women’s March Rockford said the sign “condones domestic violence.”
“This is a local business… that thinks it’s funny to harbor and host men who abuse women,” another person posted on Facebook on Dec. 11.
The bar responded to the photo in a Dec. 13 statement. “First of all, we are sorry for anyone that is offended… In no way do we advocate domestic violence or minimize O/P’s significance… we apologize for the choice of words and absolutely do not support this statement in any way.”
The bar said that the sign was “intended for one specific person” who would visit the bar and had “an O/P against a regular at our establishment.” The bar claimed the person “did not actually have an O/P” but rather used a “voluntarily dismissed” order of protection to “antagonize someone,” the statement said.
“This photo was only intended to sarcastically address her nonexistent O/P,” the bar’s statement said, adding that “a rival bar’s staff” drove circulation of the photo.
It’s unclear when the photo was taken and how long the sign remained up at the bar.
Rockford is about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Bar puts sign up saying victims of domestic abuse aren’t welcome, Illinois photo shows."
