40 years later

SHOCK: Fort Worth Stages Its Own Stonewall-Style Gay Bar Raid

fortworthbarraid

Let’s be clear: When police raided a new gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas, early Sunday morning, they were not commemorating the 40 year anniversary of Stonewall. They were defacing it.

An apparent target of the the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Rainbow Lounge was raided by police Stonewall-style, supposedly because bartenders were “overserving” customers. And because gays just can’t do anything in life without making it sexual, police even say at least one patron “groped” an officer during the raid.

In all, seven people were arrested for public intoxication and many more detained — one account says police “only arrested men and seemed to be targeting effeminate men.” Adds Raymond Gill, who was at the bar: “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.”

rally-at-the-bar

And just like Stonewall, the gays aren’t letting this one go. Hours after the raid, on Sunday night an estimated 200 people gathered on the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse, with gay City Councilman Joel Burns leading the protest of the trumped up charges. Rainbow Lounge’s owner J.R. Schrock says claims his patrons groped an officer are ludicrous. (Photos here.)

What’s more, the arrests didn’t go down without incident, either: A one Chad Gibson “was knocked unconscious and is now hospitalized with a brain injury.” One account says he did not resist arrest, but “did stumble after the first officer grabbed his arm.”

UPDATE: CBS 11 reports:

In the meantime, Gay Inc. organizations like HRC, GLAAD, and NGLTF remain silent on the matter.

(Photo: Dallas Voice)

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