A UR student was hospitalized with severe leg injuries after his involvement in a physical altercation at Club Two89 on April 5. Senior Feisal Adan was punched by a drunk patron in the club who, according to Adan, was espousing racially offensive comments. According to witnesses, the incident escalated outside, where club bouncers allegedly became involved. Adan was eventually thrown, suffering a torn ACL and MCL. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for care. Also, two arrests were made and Adan was ticketed for disorderly conduct.
The actions of the patron, who was not identified, appeared to have been racially motivated. The incident occurred at Mela Meltdown, an after party following the Association for the Development of Interest in the Indian Subcontinent’s South Asian cultural show, Mela. The patron allegedly yelled that he did not like the choice of music in the club and made racist comments directed at the DJ and others of eastern descent.
“This guy just went ballistic,” ADITI President and senior Namit Sachar, who was at the club, said.
The patron was in the process of being escorted outside of the club for derogatory behavior when he threw the punch that struck Adan.
“He was definitely out of control,” Club Two89 manager Gene Brugnoni said. “I know he was still yelling derogatory comments when my guys got him outside.
Brugnoni said that he was upset with the incident.
“We wished things like this didn’t happen,” Brugnoni said. “We definitely don’t tolerate that kind of behavior and we’re sorry it had to happen inside of our club.”
The Rochester Police Department did not respond to repeated requests for information.
“I feel like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Adan said. “As a victim, I was not protected in the club or in the street. My rights have been violated, and nobody has tried to protect me.”
Adan is considering legal action against the alleged assailant and Club Two89 and claims his leg damage is a result of being thrown by a club employee – a charge Brugnoni denies.
“As far as I know, and I’ve looked into it quite a bit, [Adan’s] leg injury resulted from his own actions,” Brugnoni said.
Originally from Somalia, Adan has sought advice from Acting Dean of Students Matthew Burns and UR attorney Paul Kelly and was recently directed to the Office of University International Relations for aid.
“Right now I am disabled because of pain,” Adan said. “Somebody has to answer for all my problems.”
Adan is scheduled to appear in court today regarding his disorderly conduct charge.
“I’m not considered a victim; I’m considered a suspect,” he said.
Adan, who said he does not drink and was not drunk at the club, has contacted the FBI with interest in pressing hate crime charges.
“If the school doesn’t pick it up, I will get my own lawyers,” he said. “I think everything that happened meets the criteria for a hate crime.”
In 2006, 7,722 hate crime incidents were reported in the U.S., 522 of those occurred in New York State, according to the Department of Justice.
“I guess it’s sad that people this day and age still want to make race an issue,” Sachar said.
Adan underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair his knee and was released from the hospital on Wednesday.
“Right now I’m dealing with a broken knee and catching up with homework,” he said. “I’m on crutches and I have a wheelchair.”
“The hardest part of the bar business is trying to ensure a safe environment and being proactive, as far as security goes, ” Brugnoni said. “We have a lot of respect for UR. They’ve always been a great crowd. We’re deeply regretful of what happened.”
Fountaine is a member of the class of 2008.
