The Needle Vinyl Tavern has closed its doors indefinitely just hours after the popular downtown Edmonton music venue apologized on Facebook for an incident in which a former staffer says she was groped by one of the bar’s owners.
In an interview with Global News on Monday night, Rob Campbell – one of three owners of the venue – said they decided to close the club because of threats made against staff.
“Stemming from the harassment allegation, I believe that anyone who is associated with The Needle is being attacked,” Campbell said.
“There was threats of burning the place down with them inside, things like that.
“Our management staff expressed a concern for their safety, just in terms of entering and leaving the venue and being in here so we took the decision to shut in the interim.”
In a Facebook post, Brittany Lyne Rudyck said she left her job in public relations for The Needle because she was groped by one of the owners in March and because the venue was considering hiring someone with a reputation for emotional abuse and sexual harassment.
“I was sexually harassed by one of the owners in March,” Rudyck said in the post. “He was blackout drunk and groped me several times after I repeatedly said no. It came to the point where I had to ask security to kick him out.
“I informed my manager of this as well as a few other staff members, who were supportive.”
READ MORE: Needle Vinyl Tavern sees bookings cancel as it reviews sexual harassment allegations
Rudyck said the owner offered a “half-baked” apology the next day and tried to phone her but she did not take his calls. She said she has not heard from him or the other owners about the incident since.
“In March, there was an incident that occurred and we acknowledge that and regret it,” Campbell said. “At that time, one of our owners was here late at night, recognized that he behaved inappropriately, the employee involved reported that to our general manager. I heard about it both from the general manager and the owner involved.
“At that time, the owner involved realized he’d behaved inappropriately, issued an apology to the staff person. He reached out and tried to contact that individual by phone but wasn’t successful in doing that and that’s understandable. She didn’t want to speak with him. So he forwarded an apology through email and then in hindsight, as an owner of the business or as an ownership group, we should have followed up further… we understand now that we hadn’t dealt with it adequately.”
Campbell declined to say which owner is at the centre of the groping allegations but said he has been removed from any “active role” at the bar and that the ownership group is working toward his complete exit from the Needle Vinyl Tavern. He also said the group is working with the YWCA and the Edmonton Sexual Assault Centre to review its policies and procedures to deal with “issues like this.”
While Campbell confirmed Rudyck’s groping claim, he said her allegations about the bar’s potential new hire involved bullying and sexism, not sexual harassment.
“The Needle Vinyl Tavern has zero tolerance for any behaviour or actions by staff or patrons that negatively impacts the environment we have cultivated at our club,” reads a statement posted by the bar on its Facebook account on Tuesday morning. “We have worked hard to create a safe and respectable environment for our staff and the people we serve but clearly, despite our best efforts, we have fallen short.
“We wish to publicly apologize for the incident.”
On Tuesday, Rudyck told Global News that while she was supported by her manager and other staff members following the groping incident, she feels the owners failed to respond properly.
“I felt like all of this was handled very poorly,” she said. “The other two owners didn’t do anything, didn’t say anything.”
Rudyck said she plans to file a police report about the alleged sexual assault and harassment.
Watch below: Music critic weighs in on impact of The Needle Vinyl Tavern’s closure
Mary Jane James from the Edmonton Sexual Assault Centre applauded Rudyck for making her claims public.
“It takes a tremendous amount of courage to come forward with these types of allegations. There’s the fear of community backlash, not being believed, not being supported and losing her job, to say the least.
James confirmed that The Needle has reached out to her centre for support and training.
Global News has also reached out to a second owner but has not received a response. Global News was unable to contact a third owner.
At least three events at The Needle were cancelled after the allegations came to light: a podcast taping by Taggart and Torrens, a workshop by the Fruit Loop Society of Alberta, and a performance by Edmonton punk band No Problem.
Campbell said it is too early to say when the venue will reopen.
In a statement sent Wednesday, the Needle reiterated staff and management have received personal threats and that safety of employees and patrons is the venue’s top priority. The statement explained that is why the club was closed until further notice.
“Our heartfelt apologies and concern go out to all of our committed and loyal staff that have been impacted by the closure.”
Rudyck said most of the responses to her Facebook post have been positive.
“I feel like I’ve found my calling or my purpose in all of this, in speaking out for people who can’t speak out for themselves or say anything. That’s a beautiful thing and also a terrifying thing. I don’t know what that means for me, but something good will come of this.
“No one should get used to being harassed in any shape or form,” she added. “No. This is not OK. I hope everyone knows that it’s time to call this behaviour out. Write reports, make it known. Put it on the record, talk to your employers, talk to whoever it takes to make sure this doesn’t happen anymore.”
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