Club Jäger reopened Wednesday, five months after closing amid a storm of controversy.
Club Jäger reopens ahead of Super Bowl, months after David Duke controversy
The bar had been closed since employees learned its owner donated to the ex-KKK leader's failed Senate campaign.
February 1, 2018 at 11:09PM
The North Loop bar had shut down after customers and employees learned that its owner, Julius DeRoma, donated $500 to former KKK leader David Duke's failed 2016 Senate campaign.
On Wednesday, the lights were on again. A manager at the bar confirmed that Jäger was indeed open, City Pages reports. An employee also confirmed that DeRoma is still the owner. It's unclear if the bar is open just for Super Bowl week or indefinitely.
The Jager backlash erupted after City Pages published a story in August about DeRoma's political donation to Duke's bid for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana.
At the time, former employees said that Jäger was closing and the 17 workers at the bar were out of jobs. Employees were incensed when they learned about the owner's donation to Duke, and the decision to close the business was made by those who ran it, not the owner, they said.
Leading up to the closing, several performers (DJs, musicians, trivia night hosts) had canceled their standing gigs at Jager.
Staff writer Mary Lynn Smith contributed to this report.
Lefse-wrapped Swedish wontons, a soothing bowl of rice porridge and a gravy-laden commercial filled our week with comfort and warmth.
