On the Facebook invite of the event, numerous people offended by the theme and what they perceived as mocking homeless people and drug addicts voiced their opinion while those behind the party argued back that the party was simply for fun and not intended to mock anyone.
The back-and-forth between those offended by the party theme and those supporting the party became very heated at times.
Susan Musselwhite, who owns the bar in East Atlanta with her wife Patryce Yeiser, issued a public statement on MSR’s Facebook page late last night addressing the controversy and the bar’s intention to not discriminate against anyone.
The note says,
“I am writing in lieu of the recent controversy concerning an event which took place at MSR last week. I would like to reiterate that MSR is merely a venue for which is offered to house a wide range of gatherings. For the past 14 years we have had the pleasure to play a part in fundraising for numerous charities as well as individuals who needed our help. It is extremely important to say that we have never discriminated against anyone at anytime…ever,” Musselwhite writes.
“With that being said…It’s obvious that the Derilecte Party spun into something we didn’t see coming. I feel certain that it wasn’t Barry’s original intention but I think the more hands that got into the promoting and advertising for the event, the more we saw that people were taking it into a negative space. I think we have learned a valuable lesson on taking more control over how parties are promoted and how we should negotiate our contracts to maintain our own integrity. We thank everyone for understanding and for giving us their words of support and concern. Your words have not gone unnoticed and we will strive to make sure to maintain control on what happens under our own roof.”