Shocker: Texas police raid gay nightclub, arrest 7

Forty years to the day after Stonewall - when a police raid of a New York gay club led to riots and launched the modern gay-rights movement - police in Fort Worth, TX, are being accused of repeating the incident.

[OutVoice]

Sad very sad. These were common headlines in my youth. Very sad indeed to see the return of such travesty. Happy to NOT live in Texas.

[Kevin]

Here's the story so you don't have to click through:

DFW Gay Community Upset After Reported Bar Raid Selena Hernandez
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―

Members of the North Texas gay community are angry and they want answers. News of a raid Saturday Night of the Rainbow Lounge night club on South Jennings Avenue has sparked an outcry.

Images posted on the Dallas Voice website have generated strong emotions from the community.

Fort Worth police say early Sunday morning members of their department, along with 2 officers from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission conducted a raid at the brand new bar near downtown fort worth.

Police say seven people were arrested for public intoxication and at least a dozen more were restrained. The incident was captured on camera and posted on local blogs. The scene was topic of conversation at Sunday's Million Gay March in Dallas, and the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas released a statement following its Sunday morning worship services.

"After more than a generation of progress, this action shows that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all Americans enjoy 'equal protection under the law.' It is tragic that lesbian and gay taxpayers are still abused by the very people who are paid by our taxes."

The community is upset because the raid happened on the 40 years anniversary of the "Stonewall raid." That raid, of a New York bar, is said to have launched the gay and lesbian civil rights movement.

Raymond Gill was at the bar early Sunday morning. He says one of the TABC officers targeted him. "I asked him why I was pulled outside. He stated it was because the way I was walking. He said I looked like I was drunk. But as I stated, I got to the bar 30 minutes before they got there. I sat down had not got up before police got there. No one saw me walk."

On the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse, on the exact day that sparked the gay and lesbian civil rights movement 40 years ago, the gay community of North Texas gathered to once again rally for their rights.

"Everyone was just rattled by this, and scared. It's just not something I expected to see in 2009," witness Todd Camp said.

Camp was among several others inside the Rainbow Lounge, when Fort worth Police, along with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission conducted a bar check just after midnight.

"I've worked in gay bars in four different counties in Texas, I've never seen anything this aggressive," club bouncer Justin McCarty said.

Fort Worth police arrested seven people for reported public intoxication, and for reportedly inappropriately groping an officer. It's an allegation witness Chuck Potter disputes.

"I can guarantee there wasn't a man in this bar that would've touched one of those officers, knowing they were arresting people."

"Rest assured the people of Fort Worth, or the government of Fort Worth -- will not tolerate discrimination against any of its citizens," Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns said. He's now calling for accountability.

The incident left a man hospitalized with a head injury. Meanwhile Fort Worth police say the club was just one of several inspected late Saturday night. In a statement, police say the department is conducting a thorough internal investigation into the allegations, as well as the allegations against the officer.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[eric]

On the news last night TABC said it was a routine inspection. Right, two inspectors, six police officers and a paddy wagon. Sounds routine to me.

[Tom in Lazybrook]

This is pretty shocking. And I live in Texas. My questions for the FWPD.

1) If this wasn't designed to be a smash em up police raid, why the paddy wagons?

2) What TABC regulation is this? I've lived in Texas for 10 years and have NEVER even heard of this in Houston.

3) If there were assaults (e.g., grabbing crotches) then there should be assault prosecutions. If not convicted or charges dropped, there should be firings and losses of pensions for the officers (if not prosecutions).

4) Has anyone considered that it was extremely provacative to conduct a police raid on a Gay bar on the 40th anniversary of a riot started by a police raid on a Gay bar?

Councilman Burns is a good man. He has a lot of cleaning up to do there.

[Dallas]

This is an example of FT WORTH, not TEXAS as a whole. I live in Dallas, just 30 miles away and I can tell you the people of Dallas would have fought back and you would be reading about the repeat of Stonewall!

[TEXAS SUCKETH]

We have gone back to the staone ages again. Whos club is bigger and who will fight first. This was an unusuall show of force for the TABC but quite expected. The lunitic running Texas shows not remorse in the killing of job bills and the promotion of the farce of big oil. The conservitive mainstream in Texas hates anything different and proved it with hangings of blacks in the 40's and 50's. If they couldl get away with it now there would be hanging of gays and lesbians. Remember anytime religion is the force in power, hate is their power.

[Dasein9]

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can the individuals who instigated this "investigation" BE this stupid and have survived outside an assisted living facility?

[Rev Ray T]

This really hurt! How well I remember the night in New Orleans when a party I was attending was busted. It was a costume party for Carnival. We were dragged off to jail fingerprinted photographed then lined up in the court yard and ridiculed by the cops.$25 per person fines, those who did not have it spent the night in lockup.

Right now I feel sick to my stomach remembering that night and I just want to scream at the younger generation.“WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU KIDS GOING TO GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING?” All that we fought for that for many of us cost us out reputations and jobs going down the tube because you young folks will not act. Don’t let us die knowing our fight was in vain, please.

[Amy]

We often frequent Ft Worth gay bars, and I have to say that I am so angry!! Our community should not have to hope a city is safe for us, but this is often the case in Texas. Best Friends, Changes, Copa Cabana (all gay bars in that area) you may be next!

[writewingproxyco ntin]

TEXAS SUCKETH wrote:

The lunitic running Texas shows not remorse in the killing of job bills and the promotion of the farce of big oil.

I hear rumors that Gov. Perry is a closet case. They're vaguer than the mostly accepted ones about Gov. Crist.

Any information on this front from Texas?

[C0gnitiveDiss0na nce]

Arrested? What...? Oh...Texas...that explains it. I'm born and raised in SoCal and lived in Texas for a year. It was like being trapped in an episode of Little House on the Prairie. The average Texan is dumb as PAINT! Example: I moved to Irving to find it a 'dry' city; weird but OK. I found that out trying to make a liquor purchase in a supermarket (as you can in California). However, I went across the street to TGIFriday's for dinner at sat at the BAR; the fully stocked bar!

So here's the Texas mentality: An individual can't buy a fifth of scotch in a sealed container to take home and pass out on the couch, but they can go into a bar, drink 'til their in a coma, then drive home and hit some kids; of which there were a lot in that area.

Maybe the heart of a Texan is in the right place, but their brains are obviously nowhere in the picture. I asked a friend there what was up with that freakish Texas pride, and he nailed it perfectly when he said, "you have to realize that most of these people [Texans] have never...left...the State. For frightening.

[Bigfoot]

C0gnitiveDiss0nance wrote:

Arrested? What...? Oh...Texas...that explains it. I'm born and raised in SoCal and lived in Texas for a year. It was like being trapped in an episode of Little House on the Prairie. The average Texan is dumb as PAINT! Example: I moved to Irving to find it a 'dry' city; weird but OK. I found that out trying to make a liquor purchase in a supermarket (as you can in California). However, I went across the street to TGIFriday's for dinner at sat at the BAR; the fully stocked bar!
So here's the Texas mentality: An individual can't buy a fifth of scotch in a sealed container to take home and pass out on the couch, but they can go into a bar, drink 'til their in a coma, then drive home and hit some kids; of which there were a lot in that area.
Maybe the heart of a Texan is in the right place, but their brains are obviously nowhere in the picture. I asked a friend there what was up with that freakish Texas pride, and he nailed it perfectly when he said, "you have to realize that most of these people [Texans] have never...left...the State. For frightening.

That's funny...The I.Q. went up in both states after you left.

[OkieDarren]

And this is a sharp reminder of WHY hate crimes laws are needed.

[Tom in Lazybrook]

Texas has a hate crimes law covering sexual orientation (signed by Gov. Perry - yea I can't figure that one out either).

This was not a hate crime. This was a violation of the patrons civil rights. Lets review.

1) The probable cause give was supposedly the testimony of a "disgruntled ex employee". At a bar that had been open for exactly ONE WEEK. Someone needs to be fired at TABC. It also would be instructive to see if any complaints had been filed against this new Gay bar to TABC recently. Especially if they came from competing bars upset with the new competition. An investigation into collusion and possibly corruption may exist between existing bar owners and TABC in this regard. The complaintant, if he/she represented him/herself as a disgrunted former employee should be arrested and prosecuted if he lied about his status.

2) The comments made by the FWPD concerning groping need to be taken seriously. By the Tarrent County DA's office. You can't get a conviction, then the police officer involved needs to be FIRED for making a false report. To a man, everyone in that bar says that it was BS.

3) People getting arrested for being drunk in a bar without being provided the opportunity to take a field sobriety test. They didn't even have field sobriety kits there. Hello? They remember to bring the billy clubs and the bad attitude, but not a field sobriety test kit? This sounds like a 'beat some queers up'

4) Reports have surfaced that women in the bar were let go after admitting to being drunk, while effiminate looking males were arrested for doing nothing more than sitting on a bar stool (sober). This should be investigated as well.

5) The FWPD is gonna get sued. Hard.

To recap. They had doubtful probable cause, they didn't even bring basic investigative equipment (breathalizers) related to the purpose of the raid, they selectively arrested people while in the bar, and then made offensive statements not backed up by anyone in the bar regarding their reasons for the violence.

[HersbandAndWife]

Rev Ray T wrote:

This really hurt! How well I remember the night in New Orleans when a party I was attending was busted. It was a costume party for Carnival. We were dragged off to jail fingerprinted photographed then lined up in the court yard and ridiculed by the cops.$25 per person fines, those who did not have it spent the night in lockup.
Right now I feel sick to my stomach remembering that night and I just want to scream at the younger generation.“WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU KIDS GOING TO GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING?” All that we fought for that for many of us cost us out reputations and jobs going down the tube because you young folks will not act. Don’t let us die knowing our fight was in vain, please.

While we agree that something needs to be done, we disagree that it should only be the younger generation. We believe that we all need to do something. The older generation can write letters and make phone calls to lawmakers, while the younger generations take to the streets in peaceful protest and even some of the older generations the 50 somethings can take to the streets with the young ones. The problem is that our young ones don't have the mentors that we all had in our youth.

The youth need someone to show them how it is done so that their generation can pick up the mantle and run with it.
We urge all older GLBT to get with some of the youth in their community and teach them what they need to know to create effective change.

[Nana to Four]

Dasein9 wrote:

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How can the individuals who instigated this "investigation" BE this stupid and have survived outside an assisted living facility?

I have to agree.

I faced a moment of stunned silence when I read the headline. After finishing the article and watching the CBS news clip I'm more than stunned. I'm puzzled.

Now, given this is Texas (the state that gave us George W. Bush)where you can find Confederate flags flying proudly over people's doorways, this is STILL an outrageous act. And the date chosen for it is even MORE profoundly puzzling.

Just what message did they intend to give the community by raiding a gay bar with violence on the celebrated 40th anniversary of Stonewall?

On the face of it, one must assume it's intimidation. But just HOW dumb are they to think that this form of intimidation will not be answered and protested loudly from all parts of not only their own state, but the other 49 as well?

Or are they wily enough to think that by causing an outcry among the LGBT folk in the US, that the answering firestorm by those who wish to oppress us will be greater, and thereby quash us into non-existence - or worse yet, back into the "closet"?

But then one has to remember those idiots in the American south who set dogs on, and fired fire hoses at people with television crews right there filming it all.

Or did they go into a new gay bar on the anniversary of Stonewall in hopes that the patrons would reenact the riot of 40 years ago, thereby giving them license to tear the place apart? Their actions sure seem provocative.

Well Texas, the eyes of the world are upon you right this minute. How are you going to respond? With the bullish macho bravado of W? Or with the intelligent questioning and thorough investigative skills of Molly Ivans?

[fuzi]

And they wonder why nobody respects the police anymore. These police don't deserve any respect. They're nothing but licensed thugs.

[Rick in Kansas]

The Box Turtle Bulletin is providing coverage of this story from a number of sources:

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/06/28/1...
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/06/29/1...
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/06/29/1...

An update on the man who was injured in the raid, he's now in intensive care with bleeding on the brain.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/06/29/1...

[Rev Ray T]

HersbanAndWife said:

"While we agree that something needs to be done, we disagree that it should only be the younger generation. We believe that we all need to do something. The older generation can write letters and make phone calls to lawmakers, while the younger generations take to the streets in peaceful protest and even some of the older generations the 50 somethings can take to the streets with the young ones. The problem is that our young ones don't have the mentors that we all had in our youth."

There is much truth in what you say. But, when one, do to fanatical restraints, Is trapped in a senior apartment complex with COPD hearing and vision loss. It is not easy to once again take to the streets. We did take the lead when we were young and able. Now it is time for the younger generation to take up the torch. I do the best I can here on the internet to show the way through nonviolent civil disobedience as the method that worked for our generation. Its up to the young to get off their butts and do the same.

[Stupid Sheeples RAnnoying]

Rev Ray T wrote:

This really hurt! How well I remember the night in New Orleans when a party I was attending was busted. It was a costume party for Carnival. We were dragged off to jail fingerprinted photographed then lined up in the court yard and ridiculed by the cops.$25 per person fines, those who did not have it spent the night in lockup.
Right now I feel sick to my stomach remembering that night and I just want to scream at the younger generation.“WHEN THE HELL ARE YOU KIDS GOING TO GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING?” All that we fought for that for many of us cost us out reputations and jobs going down the tube because you young folks will not act. Don’t let us die knowing our fight was in vain, please.

I am part of the younger generation and I must say it is like pulling teeth to get some of my friend's to vote let alone become involved in a protest. There is alot of apathy and I feel it will take something drastic and tragic to get folks off their butt's and do something for their own cause. The way violence is escalating toward the LGBT community I fear it is only a matter of time.

"FIRST THEY IGNORE YOU,
THEN THEY LAUGH AT YOU,
THEN THEY FIGHT YOU,
THEN YOU WIN"
-GANDHI