DYM SUM

Overnight, the GLBTQ community “celebrated” the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City. While the gay rights movement far exceeds even the formation of the Mattachine Society nearly 60 years ago (in 1950), the events in Greenwich Village on that summer night in 1969 further organized, and arguably shaped a surge in the pursuit of those rights. We have fought ever since.

Well, except last night in Fort Worth, Texas.

This morning, the Dallas Voice reported that The Rainbow Lounge, a new gay bar in Fort Worth, west of Dallas, was raided early this morning. Numerous people were arrested and rough-housed without any specific reason. Some people were even thrown to the ground and handcuffed, allegedly for public intoxication. One report even stated that a young woman who was of age, and hadn’t even been drinking, received similar treatment, so it’s safe to assume that public intoxication wasn’t the real reason the police were there.

An unidentified Rainbow Lounge patron sent this message to Arnold Wayne Jones at the Dallas Voice this morning:

The not awesome thing was the paddy wagon of homophobic police that showed up … looking for trouble. My group and I were sitting on the back patio at a picnic table. Nobody was being wild out there. [The police] came through with flashlights, being loud asking what was going on out here, then asked why everyone was all the sudden being quiet. When one group started up their conversations again, they took one guy away. I left shortly after and as I walked through the front bar there were numerous cops with plastic handcuffs all ready to go. I [left] the bar and they [had] a big van in the parking lot and numerous cars on the street. And just so you know, it wasn’t fire hazard crowded or seedy wild in there. … The worst part is [friends later told me] that [the police] had numerous people face down on the ground outside.

Facedown on the ground outside? A big van in the parking lot and numerous cars on the street?

One patron told Dallas Voice reporter Tammye Nash, “It felt so very Stonewall, but without the standing up for ourselves.”

Chuck Potter, a patron of the bar last night (who took both pictures you see here), avoided being arrested, but indicated that as many as 20 folks were arrested during the raid. Many people fled from the back exit, and went to neighboring properties, out of sight from the officers, to avoid arrest. Others feared leaving via the front entrance, because some who did were put face-down on the pavement and handcuffed.

Another patron named Alison told Nash:

When it first started she went up to a cop and said, “thank you for coming out to keep us safe. This is a rough neighborhood.” He said, “that’s not why we are here.” She asked why they were there and he said a disgruntled employee had said that the bar was overserving people. She told him she had been drinking but that she had a designated driver. He told her that she was fine. She said they only arrested men and seemed to be targeting effeminate men

While many attempted to avoid the situation, or did not resist arrest, Potter was one individual who was angry above anything else. He said:

The raid at Fort Worth’s new gay bar the Rainbow Lounge really took place last night and some did exactly what the police wanted them to do… leave. This is absolutely unacceptable. I can not believe that on the eve of the 40th anniversary of STONEWALL that the fort worth police will show up with paddy wagon and take people at random and arrest them. If Robert H had stayed last night he would have seen anywhere from 15 to 20 people arrest mostly for public intoxication. Fort worth can not legally shut down the bar so they are harassing the bars patrons, we must put a stop to this!!

Lots of people will be showing their pride today in Dallas and participating in the Million Man March and that is great, but what happened last night in Fort Worth is proof that we have got to do more than simply march down the strip in Dallas’ “gayberhood”. We need to do like our brothers and sisters did 40 years ago and PROTEST where the harassment and injustice is happening. I am not saying lets riot in the streets of Fort Worth but I am saying lets take the Million Man March to Fort Worth and make our Voice heard.

Stop The Madness

I have a couple of friends in the DFW area, so I’ll be looking into this more, and getting back to you as soon as I can.

EDIT, 16h20: Kudos to Chuck Potter who is following through on his demand for anger and protest at last night’s incident. Here are the details:

They are asking that people gather at the Rainbow Lounge at 5 p.m. today. Then there will be a protest outside the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth at 7 p.m.

Rainbow Lounge is located at 615 S. Jennings. The courthouse is on Weatherford at Main St. Parking downtown in all parking garages and at all meters. There is a parking garage very near the courthouse, at Weatherford and Throckmorton.

EDIT, 18h42: An hour ago, Tammye Nash from the Dallas Voice reported that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is behind last night’s raid. This is incredibly interesting, since the Stonewall Riots were also related to alcohol. She is also reporting that one of the people arrested was in the ICU at an area hospital due to head injuries sustained during the raid. He is alert, but cannot remember the incident.

There is no question in my mind that those head injuries were caused by rough action on the part of the police. I will guarantee you that this is not the last you’ll hear about this incident.

EDIT, 20h51: Fellow blogger Michelle Palmer composed a pretty stunning iReport which is now showing up on CNN. Definitely check it out. Palmer makes an excellent point: if the TABC and police were doing a routine check of things, why did they show up with seven police cars, a paddy wagon, and use what was unquestionably excessive force?

The Fort-Worth Star Telegram published this story on the incident earlier this evening. Nearly 100 people showed up at the Rainbow Lounge Protest (picture from the Telegram, left); the Courthouse protest was ongoing when the story went to press. TABC officials and police claim that several bar patrons made lewd gestures toward them; one TABC official even states that he was “assaulted” by a patron, who grabbed the official’s groin. A significant number of patrons say this is absolutely not what happened. As for the poor guy whose skull was fractured:

“He was just walking to the bathroom when an officer grabbed him and shoved him against a wall and pulled his head back,” said Chris Hightower of Fort Worth, a friend of the injured patron. “He (the injured man) was then thrown to the ground and three other officers were on him.”

EDIT, 21h34: Michelle just pointed out something I had missed, the testimony of a Rainbow Lounge employee who called himself “Shane” in The Dallas Voice blog. If this account is accurate (and, for the record, it was posted at 13h48 EDT, LONG before any police report was released to the Telegram), it would be pretty damning to the credibility of the police’s and TABC’s reports.

I was one of the dance entertainers last night at Rainbow Lounge. I was dancing on a box in the VIP lounge and was looking right at the first guy that was arrested. The male patron was standing at the bar doing nothing but having a having a drink and a fun time (like people do in bars) when an officer entered that section of the club and made a beeline straight towards him. The officer forcefully spun the man around, shoved him against the bar and placed plastic restraints on his wrists. The officer then marched the man out the club. The guy was stunned and obviously really scared.

I then noticed another officer in the VIP section and several other officers filtering into the club. I made the decision at that point to go ahead and get dressed in case they were going to start arresting everyone in the entire place.

When I got inside the dressing room there were other dancers already in there getting dressed. They were panicing and saying that this is not something they have ever had to deal dancing in Dallas.

I got dressed and walked out the door and saw that several more officers had made their way into the club. I went into sort of a surreal haze at that moment. I was so disturbed and saddened because it occured to me in that moment that being after midnight, it was actually the exact same day as the Stonewall Riots. I just couldn’t believe what was happening.

I was still standing near the entrance to the VIP lounge with a friend when an officer approached a man standing there. The man had water in his hand. The officer asked him how much he had had to drink and the man said that he didn’t have to answer that. The officer then said that he was going to arrest him for public intoxication. The man said, ”You can’t do that I am just standing here right now drinking water.” At the time the officer shoved the man over towards the wall near the dressing room and then back to the rear wall near the men’s restroom, then down onto the floor. Several other officers, made their way back there to hold that ONE MAN down on the ground as they placed restraints on him. At the time I noticed that all of them did not have FWPD uniforms on. Some of them were actually State Police.

I came out of my horrified daze at that moment and told my friend that we needed to get out of there quickly. I just felt like everything was about to go crazy. Outside the bar, there were officers standing all over the place. I did a quick scan and counted seven squad cars. I heard one officer telling a young woman who was complaining to him about being harrassed by them that they were only there to protect the citizens of Fort Worth and to keep drunk people from being on the roads.

EDIT, 22h00: TV station KDAF has released the full statement from the Fort Worth police department

On Thursday evening, June 6, 2009, a TABC Agent entered into NPD2 and teamed up with a patrol officer in order to conduct alcoholic beverage code inspections of area clubs. While they were out, they performed these inspections into the Friday morning hours. At approximately 10:00 p.m., Thursday evening, they stopped by the Rainbow Lounge located at 651 S. Jennings in anticipation of conducting an inspection as this club is newly opened and has not received an inspection before this date. While waiting on the supervisor to arrive, which is standard operating procedure, the owner of the Rainbow Lounge approached the officers asked if there was a problem. The TABC agent explained they were waiting on a patrol supervisor to make the scene before conducting an inspection of his establishment. An inspection at the Rainbow Lounge was not conducted on this date (Friday). Other locations, however, were inspected as a continuing effort to educate and enforce over serving alcohol to intoxicated individuals.

On Saturday morning, June 27, 2009, a person identifying himself as the owner of the Rainbow Lounge called the local police station and spoke with a supervisor to ascertain if there was a problem at the Rainbow Lounge. At approximately 3:30 p.m., a Fort Worth Police sergeant spoke with the owner of the Rainbow Lounge and explained they were conducting alcoholic beverage code inspections in the area. The owner advised the sergeant officers were welcome anytime to conduct an inspection of his establishment. The sergeant advised the owner of the Rainbow Lounge that officers would return to the area this evening to continue inspections and would inspect his establishment.

On Sunday morning, June 28, 2009, at 12:30 a.m., six (6) Fort Worth Police Officers, two (2) TABC agents and a supervisor conducted inspections at 160 W Rosedale (Rosedale Saloon and Cowboy Palace). This inspection resulted in nine (9) arrests. Once the inspection was completed at these locations, officers proceeded to the Rainbow Lounge.

Officers arrived at the Rainbow Lounge to conduct the scheduled inspection. Some officers remained outside while some entered the club. While walking through the Rainbow Lounge, an extremely intoxicated patron made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor. This individual was arrested for public intoxication. Another intoxicated individual also made sexually explicit movements towards another officer and he was arrested for public intoxication. A third individual inside the lounge assaulted the TABC agent by grabbing the TABC agent’s groin. He was escorted outside and arrested for public intoxication. The decision was made to release him to paramedics due to his extreme intoxicated state as he was repeatedly vomiting. While dealing with this person, another officer requested assistance from inside the club as he had an intoxicated individual that was resisting arrest. This person was placed on the ground in an effort to control and apprehend. A total of seven (7) arrests were made from the Rainbow Lounge during this inspection. The total arrest count for the entire evening totaled 16.

Alcohol beverage code inspections are conducted frequently at establishments located within the city limits of Fort Worth. These are conducted in order to ensure a safe environment for all. A thorough internal investigation into the allegations made is being conducted as all allegations against officers are investigated.

KDAF also released a statement from City Councilman Joel Burns:

Contact: Councilman Joel Burns 817-881-1887 Fort Worth City Council, Dist. 9

Statement from Councilmember Joel Burns Regarding Police Action at the Rainbow Lounge on 6/28/2009

FORT WORTH, TEXAS-6/28/2009 . I want all citizens of Texas and Fort Worth to know and be assured that the laws and ordinances of our great State and City will be applied fairly, equally and without malice or selective enforcement. I consider this to be part of “The Fort Worth Way” here. As an elected representative of the city of Fort Worth, I am calling for an immediate and thorough investigation of the actions of the City of Fort Worth Police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in relation to the incident at the Rainbow Lounge earlier this morning, June 28, 2009.

It is unfortunate that this incident occurred in Fort Worth and even more so to have occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall protests. Unlike 40 years ago, though, the people of this community have elective representation that will make sure our government is accountable and that the rights of all of its citizens are protected. I are working together with our Mayor, Police Chief, the City of Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, and our State Legislative colleagues to get a complete and accurate accounting of what occurred.

Rest assured that neither the people of Fort Worth, nor the city government of Fort Worth, will tolerate discrimination against any of its citizens. And know that the GLBT Community is an integral part of the economic and cultural life of Fort Worth.

Every Fort Worth citizen deserves to have questions around this incident answered and I am working aggressively toward that end.

Tammye Nash at the Dallas Voice has spoken to the sister of the critically injured man, whose name is Chad Gibson. To be honest, his present condition sounds frightening.

Kristy Morgan, sister of Chad Gibson, just called me to give an update on her brother. Chad is the man who was hospitalized after being thrown to the floor by police during a raid last night on the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth.

Kristy said the initial CAT scan performed earlier today showed little or no damage. However, a second CAT scan performed this afternoon showed that the bleeding in his brain had increased.

“We won’t know anything more until tomorrow when they do more tests,” she said.

Kristy said Chad has awake today, but that he has no memory of the incident in the bar and that his memor of events today have been spotty. She said he remembers her being there, but that he doesn’t remember talking to the doctor this morning, and he doesn’t remember visits by some of his friends during the day.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or what kind of bar you are in,” Kristy said, “none of this should have happened, to anybody. It’s excessive force, and it shouldn’t have happened.”

That’s it for tonight, folks. Hopefully we’ll have additional news on this tomorrow, but I’ll place in a separate post.

UPDATE: #170 – Rainbow Lounge Victim’s Condition Worsening

UPDATE: #172 – Eyewitness Statements vs. Police Report in Rainbow Lounge Raid

UPDATE: #173 – Dry Humping the Police, and Other Rainbow Lounge Myths

UPDATE: #174 – Rainbow Lounge Victim May Recover

UPDATE: #184 – Rainbow Lounge Victim Has Long Road to Recovery