I just sent this to the Oberver for: Letters to the Editor.

Is it just me or are bouncers taking queues from the movie “Road House” with their teacher being Patrick Swayze?

The industry term bouncer presents an image of someone who will physically break up fights and forcibly eject undesirable patrons. Bouncers are often portrayed in movies as tough, thug-like scrappers who love to fight and it appears Sarnia has employed and embodied that persona.

There’s a common misconception that bouncers have authority to pick someone up and physically remove him or her from the premises for violating a club rule. It is believed that bouncers can use pain compliance holds, full-nelsons, choke holds, wrist locks, and arm bars to manhandle their patrons. This is generally not true. Simply stated bouncers cannot legally use force against unless they are taking someone into custody for a crime or in self-defense. When force is used it must be reasonable. That means no tackling, no punching, no kicking, no choking, no head butts, no piling on top, no hog-ties, and no pain compliance holds.

The authority of a bouncer, in most cases, is the same as any ordinary citizen. Bouncers have no special authority to physically eject a customer who merely becomes intoxicated or verbally obnoxious. As an employee of the nightclub, bouncers can only demand that the undesirable customer leave. If the customer refuses to leave your only legal recourse is to call the police.

“Back in the Day” when I bounced we were trained by a black belted marshal-artist who stressed the importance of self control, restraint and diffusion of aggressive situations.  Now I feel as though Friday and Saturday nights have become UFC episodes with the bar transforming into the octagon.

I stopped bouncing a few years back as I thought it was getting out of hand.  Bouncers began encouraging and gestured collusion.  Planned attacks were sometimes carried out to remove “ex-boyfriends” and other personal vendettas.  Very sad.

I understand there are drunks that get out of hand and require “removing.”  A bouncer does encounter undesirable situations however when did decency, restraint and professionalism get discarded?  Who are bouncing the bouncers?

Facebook is an entertaining place to show “good nights out” and more and more you are seeing pictures of 4 on 1 bouncer brutality; even pictures of 100 pound women being placed in the “chicken wing” by monstrous men.

There are a lot of good, honest bouncers out there performing a good deed.  It’s a shame that they appear to be a dieing breed.

I write this out of concern.  Brutality doesn’t diffuse anything; it only acts as a catalyst for more brutality.  If not a bouncer injuring/killing a patron; then a patron in retaliation injuring/killing a bouncer.

Take your pick.