Gay-owned restaurant in Rogers Park targeted in suspected homophobic attack

A gay-owned restaurant in Rogers Park was targeted Monday evening in an alleged homophobic attack that left the front door glass shattered and sent some customers ducking for cover.

Couple Renee Labrana and Sandra Carter have owned R Public House for a decade, fashioning it as a “safe space for anyone who wants to come in,” according to Labrana.

But a low-key happy hour quickly spiraled out of control about 5:30 p.m., when a man started harassing two customers as they approached the bar and restaurant, Labrana said.

After the man followed them inside and called them a gay slur, he challenged them to a fight before being shouted out of the establishment, Labrana said. He then pulled out a hammer, shattered the glass of the front door and ran off.

“It’s very frustrating and disconcerting because we live in this neighborhood because it’s so diverse, and we love that about the neighborhood,” Labrana said. “So you tend to forget that there’s people that hate you out there just for who you love. And it makes me really angry that we even have to think about it.”

Carter said the incident was jarring for patrons, some of whom were left running out the back door with the manager as the man started shattering the window.

“They weren’t sure if it was gunshots,” she said. “And knowing the horrific hate crimes that have happened in different bars, it was scary.”

Labrana and Carter had just left the bar when the attack occurred and returned to speak to police officers and download surveillance footage. Later Monday, they were waiting on an evidence technician who was being sent to the restaurant after the attack was labeled a hate crime, Labrana said.

A police spokesperson confirmed officers “responded to the area” but couldn’t immediately provide any additional details.

The Chicago Police Department reported 177 hate crimes last year, by far the most in at least 11 years, according to city records. The Rogers Park police district has recorded the second-most hate crimes over that period, and anti-LBGTQ incidents have been the most common citywide.

Labrana and Carter — who were married last September in Las Vegas, Nevada, with an Elvis Presley impersonator officiating — said they’ve never been targeted in a similar attack, even when they’ve hosted so-called drag brunches that have drawn the ire of far-right agitators.

“We can safely say that we know that the community will rally around us,” Carter said. “We’re not afraid.”