(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Hideout is shutting down a week from today as the owners of the popular Bucktown music venue pledge to conduct an equity audit.
WBBM Newsradio’s Nancy Harty reports this comes after a former employee accused owners of fostering a toxic work environment.
The Hideout announced the hiatus in a statement, saying they take seriously the concerns voiced by Mykele Deville. They said they’re committed to hearing the difficult truths that change requires.
Deville -- the bar’s first black program director -- posted on social media how he felt his bosses didn’t support him when he was spit on by a customer who refused to wear a mask and were slow to respond to white supremacist graffiti on the building.
He wrote they didn’t intend to set him up to succeed and only wanted to trade on his racial identity. Since then, several artists have canceled their performances.
The owners hope to reopen next year.
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