In June, Ft. Worth police stormed the Rainbow Lounge and forced patrons to the floor during a raid, supposedly to crack down on sex acts at the bar. The incident left Chad Gibson with a bruised brain and six days in the ICU. Oh, and he is the one the city is now targeting.
As if the Texan city couldn’t bungle its Stonewall-style attack on the gays even more, prosecutors filed charges against Gibson and another civilian for their actions that night. Gibson faces charges of “public intoxication” and “assaulting a state agent,” the second likely stemming from an officer’s claim Gibson groped him during the raid. Meanwhile, George Armstrong, who “suffered severe bruising and muscle strain while being arrested,” is also facing “public intoxication” charges.
Both men are refusing to accept plea bargains. Which means if they head to trial, you can fully expect those three suspended cops, and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials that admitted it violated its own policies, to be called to the witness stand to testify exactly what happened that night. This is a nightmare for the two men charged. But if their legal bills can tolerate it, it will be a nightmare for Ft. Worth Police, the TABC, and their sympathizers.
Pete
Texas is a very dangerous place for a gay or lesbian. Why go there?
Hyhybt
You have to be SOMEwhere…
Josh AZ
I remember reading about this story. The cops over-reacted and are being punished. But, Chad Gibson was notorious in Fort Worth as a fall-down-every-day-drunk. Instead of prosecution, I hope he has gotten attention for his excessive drinking.
Thomas
I understand that not everyone can move to San Francisco and shut the rest of the world out, but what all of us CAN do is refuse to travel anywhere that things like this go down. I will never to go Egypt, Uganda, the Bahamas, or many other places because of how they have treated LGBT’s and that goes for Texas and a bunch of other states in this country as well. Homophobes will NOT get my money.