San Francisco's vibrant South of Market neighborhood was shaken as Oasis, a prominent LGBTQ nightclub, became the scene of an armed robbery early Thursday morning. Owner D'Arcy Drollinger, also known as the city's appointed Drag Laureate, confirmed that the establishment's cleaning crew was robbed at gunpoint by four masked men. The robbery included the vandalism of the club, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
At approximately 5:11 a.m., the assailants forced entry by prying the main door off with crowbars and proceeded to hold down the cleaning staff, taking their personal items, such as phones and wallets. Drollinger shared, as per Bay Area Reporter, that not only was the nightclub trashed, but the personal safety of the staff was compromised, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
Apart from the physical theft, the club’s office was ransacked, internet equipment damaged, and alcohol stock was raided, with the intruders even consuming some of the merchandise on-site. The club's exterior mural, a testimony to LGBTQ history known as "Showtime," was also not spared from the vandals' reach. Though the alarm had not been triggered due to the presence of the cleaning crew, the break-in was detected by an Oasis employee monitoring the surveillance cameras, who then alerted the police. While the robbers had fled by the time the officers arrived, the San Francisco Police Department confirmed that no injuries were reported, as conveyed by their media relations officer, Allison Maxie, as cited by the San Francisco Chronicle.
In response to the crisis and the estimated $10,000 in damages, Drollinger launched a crowdfunding campaign that surpassed its goal, raising over $12,500, as stated by the San Francisco Chronicle. The club, a sanctuary known for its queer theater and important drag shows such as "Reparations" and "Princess," swiftly reopened for its scheduled "Drunk Drag Dizney" show, a sign of its resilience.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the police department’s 24-hour tip line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411, beginning the text message with “SFPD.”
