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Habesha Lounge did not go quietly into that good night. It went loud, and early.
Tonight, June 26, was meant to be the valedictory final night at Habesha Lounge—one of WW's top 5 bars of the year for 2015—after the owners of the attached restaurant decided not to continue with their lease.
Instead, Habesha ended abruptly at about 11:30 pm Thursday, June 25, after landlord Belay Berhane Girmay arrived looking agitated, according to bystanders.
"I'm in the middle of bartending," says bartender and booker Brandon Nikola. "It's totally insane, there had to be 150 people. The inside was packed, the patio was packed, there were people on the sidewalk. Suddenly [Girmay] was behind the bar, shouting that's it, that's it, we're done, saying he was calling the cops."
Outside, according to bouncer Anthony Lusk and other onlookers, an unidentified man who arrived with Girmay forcibly grabbed one of the patrons, asserting she was trying to take her alcohol off-premises.
"She was like a hundred pounds," says Lusk, "I kept yelling you can't lay a hand on her. Are you DPSST certified?"
"You don't just grab someone," says Nikola. "even if you're certified, that shouldn't have been his reaction."
Police arrived, but did not take any action against the bar. "As for the police, I have no idea why they got called in the first place," says Nikola. "I'm sure they were feeling the same way."
Of Girmay, Nikola says they'd had a good relationship up until last night: "If he came to the bar, it was to get a drink." However, earlier in the day, Girmay had been upset by a Portland Mercury article saying that the restaurant was closing due to increased rent, which he asserted was untrue.
"It was very surprising," Nikola says, "not only to get so upset about the article, then to do what he did. It was shocking."
Habesha is now slated to become a weed dispensary, say staff at the bar. Girmay has not returned phone calls made by WW.
"Dude I'm sorry/bummed it happened as it did tonight. Hopefully tomorrow makes up for all of it!" a friend of Nikola's wrote on social media when he made mention of the night's events.
"There is no tomorrow," Nikola responded. "I'm done."
WWeek 2015