Partners in defunct Martini’s bar and restaurant claim in a federal lawsuit that the city of Biloxi forced the business to close because of a late-night Black clientele.
“The city of Biloxi has a long and documented history of discrimination against African Americans and these policies plaintiffs are challenging are indicative that this racial discrimination persists,” says the lawsuit, which refers back to wade-in protests decades ago when Black residents were denied use of the public beach.
Five partners in JMD Coastal Entertainment Inc., the company doing business as Martini’s, are suing the city, Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, Police Chief John Miller and Brad Patano, a principal in the company that owns the building where the Howard Avenue bar and restaurant was located. It sat across from the Shuckers’ stadium and near the Interstate 110 overpass.
Martini’s partners claim Patano conspired with the city to close down the business because of the Black clientele.
Patano and the city only recently learned of the U.S. District Court lawsuit and haven’t had time to file responses. Patano told the Sun Herald that all his dealings were with one of the partners, Steven “Mark” Stafford.
“What he says about me is absolutely and completely false,” Patano said. “It was out of left field for me.”
City officials did not want to comment on the pending litigation.
Martini’s alleges that the city violated the company’s constitutional rights to equal protection, noting all partners in the business are white but were discriminated against because of their late-night Black customer base. Patano is equally liable, the lawsuit alleges, because he conspired with the city.
Martini’s bar and restaurant in downtown Biloxi, which closed in October 2024, was located on Howard Avenue in a two-story building with a courtyard.
Biloxi welcomes bar, then complaints start
Martini’s opened in June 2021 and was welcomed by city officials and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber with a ribbon cutting.
By the fall of 2022, the relationship between Martini’s and the city began to sour. Martini’s was attracting late-night customers who were Black, the lawsuit says.
“Martini’s was located in a predominantly white area of downtown Biloxi and the defendants (the city and Patano) did not want a large influx of African Americans there,” the lawsuit says.
But a previous lawsuit filed by the city offers a different take. The city took Martini’s to court in March 2023 as a “common nuisance,” claiming residents and businesses were complaining about criminal activity in and around the two-story building with an outdoor courtyard. The lawsuit mentioned a shooting in March 2022 and another in February 2023.
In its federal lawsuit, Martini’s claims neither shooting happened at the bar. One was across the street, the Martini’s lawsuit says, and the other was about a block away.
In its chancery lawsuit, the city also documented the Police Department’s calls for service from January 2021 to March 2023 involving incidents at Martini’s. In that time frame, residents requested police assistance or extra patrols 144 times. The city said 96 of those calls were after 1 a.m.
Biloxi, business try to settle differences
The city and Martini’s reached an agreement in the chancery case. Martini’s restricted late-night hours and courtyard music for in April 2023. Once the situation quieted, the city agreed the restrictions could be lifted and the case ended.
But Martini’s maintains in the federal case that Patano wanted the bar and restaurant out of his building and went to the city for help to avoid “Black Spring Break every weekend.”
The city started putting signs under the I-110 overpass that parking was closed after 10 p.m., the Martini’s lawsuit says. The “no parking” rule was selectively enforced, the lawsuit says, with late-night parking allowed for baseball games. Police officers also approached Martini’s customers while they ate to tell them cars would be towed after 10 p.m., the lawsuit says.
“It was this practice and others like them that finally forced Martini’s out of business in early October 2024,” the lawsuit says.
Martini’s estimated it is owed $31.9 million to compensate for revenue it would have received under a 20-year lease. The lawsuit says Martini’s initially invested $750,000 in the business and had net income of $100,500 from the inside venue during the first year of operation.
The company also is seeking an unspecified amount in punitive damages, plus court costs and attorney’s fees.
