The UpStairs LOUNGE, where the Jimani Bar now stands, was widely known as a gay bar in the French Quarter. On June 24, 1973, tragedy struck when someone set fire to the club. 32 patrons perished that day, making it the deadliest fire in New Orleans. Sadly, the public was largely indifferent to the tragedy, as so many of the victims were homosexual. The primary suspect, a patron of the bar kicked out earlier in the day, was never charged. He later died of suicide. Those who visit the Jimani Bar today can hear voices of the dead, pleading to be heard and not forgotten.