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The news isn’t good for the Ft. Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which raided the gay bar Rainbow Lounge in a hostile “crackdown on underage drinking” that left Chad Gibson in the hospital with a brain injury. While the cops say they’re investigating allegations of wrongdoing on their part (while still claiming the bar patrons made sexual advances on the cops during the raid), the situation has drawn the attention of Texas state legislators.
Sen. Wendy Davis and Rep. Lon Burnam have seized the opportunity to stand up for The Gays. Statement: “It is our hope that through a thorough investigation and analysis of the events that occurred at the Rainbow Lounge, particularly in the early morning hours of June 28, our community and those outside our community who have raised concerns, will be able to get the answers they need to their valid questions. Most importantly, Chad Gibson and his family, for whom we are deeply concerned, deserve answers. To that end, we intend to make a written request to TABC for answers to the questions raised in the meeting that we held today. Tomorrow, we will issue a joint letter detailing that request.”
Their words join outrage from the local gay community, which staged a 100-person vigil last night. Meanwhile, in the above report from NBC’s Dallas/Ft. Worth affiliate, it’s clear the police are floating a new rumor to the press: That Gibson injured himself after the arrest, all by himself, outside the bar.
How about we take this to the next level?
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(Photo: Dallas Morning News)
badlydrawnbear
“still claiming the bar patrons made sexual advances on the cops during the raid”
to the cops … so the fuck what???
So some drunken skinny drunk 26 year old man managed to slur out “ooh, I love a man in uniform” while leaning into you. You are a fucking cop with a self defense training, night stick, gun, and handcuffs. Cops deal with obnoxious drunks all the time, ALL the time, and 99.999% of the time the officer simple needs to really on his/her training, talk to the drunk a little bit, defuse the situation, and get the drunk to cooperate. It’s known as an ‘appropriate response’ or ‘appropriate force’.
While there certainly are belligerent drunks who attempt to get physical with police officers there is no indication from the witness or the police that this was the case.
That fact that the police are attempting to blame the victim by saying he may have injured himself after being placed in zip ties indicates the cops know the fucked up and used ‘inappropriate force/.
Joan
The Dallas Voice has an article here: http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_11525.php that you ought to take a look at. The TABC’s statement says, “Mr Gibson was released to paramedics for treatment of alcohol poisoning and a head injury and transported to a local hospital.” Because you know a good TABC trooper does a breathalyzer test before he beats the crap out of someone, right? Disgusting, cheap shot.
Jean Genet
Makes you wonder what these red-blooded, virile, manly-man heterosexual FWPD officers do when a whore gropes one of them during a bust—crack her head open? Or unzip?
Tom in Lazybrook
They’re coving it up. TABC is controlled by appointee of vicious homophobe Perry. The FWPD can’t seem to do anything but lie and blameshift.
FWPD seems to have no problem trying to blameshift with the press but can’t seem to answer questions in the Gay community. How about a TELEVISED forum when Chief Halstead addresses the following the issues of the case.
1) His explaination for all of the different and contradictory stories coming out of his department.
2) His explanation for his departments blameshifting.
3) His explanation for why there were no reports or arrests of TABC officers by the FWPD at the bar, when there was clearly excessive force.
4) The number of OUT at work Gay men working the beat in FW.
5) The disciplinary history of the officers involved.
6) Why no one was apparently read their Miranda rights or provided with breatalyzer exams
7) An investigation in to FW PD’s behavior towards Mr. Armstrong (who was also assaulted, injured, and hospitalized). He also reports FW PD laughing and cracking jokes outside the bar
8) A long discussion as to why, if so many of his previous statements have been shown to be lies, then what about his assertion that Mr. Gibson was a ‘crotch grabber’
9) The future procedure for dealing with TABC officers.
10) His views on an independent investigation, staffed with some openly Gay male participation and with full disclosure of all members views on Gay rights and being Gay (such as, how did you vote on the Anti-Gay 2005 TX referendum).
TABC won’t even release the names of the officers that are supposedly on ‘desk duty’. I call BS.
Tom in Lazybrook
OH and this forum would be for Chief Gibson to answer questions from the Gay community. With follow up questions allowed.
Tom in Lazybrook
Oops I meant Chief Halstead
Cam
Keep the pressure on. I am a HUGE supporter of the police, living in DC you would understand, however THESE cops need to be fired and have any vestiture in their pensions wiped out. Even if everything they say about the patrons cruising them is true…so what. Are they trying to say that if a woman flirts with a cop who pulls her over for speeding that 8 cops will drag her out of the car and beat her up?
The fact is, nobody flirted with them, the cops wanted to go hassle the “Queers” and that is what they did, the only thing that has changed is that now the Queers have cell phone cameras. Without that evidence NOTHING would have been done about this.
Don't get fooled
this ‘investigation’ crap is just supposed to silence the protests. NOTHING will come of it…cops won’t be charged, so don’t fool yourselves.
Not at all saying i wouldn’t want to see these bigot cops in jail getting thier asses kicked….
but i hold no hope of any sort of good coming out of this situation.
This world, this country is a scary scary place.
Elbert
this story only proves that queer people need to understand that the people in power still don’t like us. Just because we have movie stars depicting our lives doesn’t mean the cat is out of the bag.
Not Ryan Moats
I appreciate the coverage that Queerty is providing of this instance of homophobia-fueled police brutality.
However, I am very surprised and disappointed at the small amount of coverage this incident has gotten by bigger, major media outlets such as the NYTimes, CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN–particularly in comparison to the amount of coverage the traffic stop of NFL player Ryan Moats got in Dallas. Both events were outrageous abuses of authority, and both deserved hot, hot coverage.
Why the difference in coverage?
Is it the celebrity-factor? Moats is an NFL player, although not a very well-known one. I’d never heard of him before that incident.
Is it that the dashboard video made for sensational television blurbs for national newscasts? While no citizen videos of the bar raid and police violence have yet emerged, there were dozens of eyewitnesses, many of whom have provided accounts of what did (and more importantly what did NOT) happen. Where are the interviews? There was also a protest march in FW, and a vigil for the most seriously injured victim of the police violence.
Where is the national coverage? I hope that people in different parts of the country will continue to contact their local media outlets, as well as national media outlets like the NYTimes, CBS, ABC, NBC, and CNN. Keep the heat of the media on Chief Take a Deep Breath, and the TABC and do not let the outrage from this story subside.
ebohlman
Not Ryan: I think you’re right about the lack of video. The two most important words in a news producer’s vocabulary are “budget” and “deadline.” This means that the less staff time it takes to produce a story, the more likely it is to air. In the case of something involving an NFL player, all that it really takes to produce the story is to do some minor editing on the press releases issued by the various parties (all of whom have media-relations departments) and run the videos provided by those departments. The reason news media spend so much time on celebrity coverage is that most of the cost of producing it is borne by the celebrities’ publicists, not the news operations. It’s also why coverage of religious controversies emphasizes the views of hardline churches rather than mainline ones: the hardline churches live in the 21st century and have their responses ready to uplink to the news media; the mainline churches still expect the media to send someone out to interview them.
So basically, if you want the media to cover your story you have to bring it to them and do most of the work that was traditionally regarded as part of journalism yourself. In other words, you have to treat your story as a product to be sold. Yeah, it sucks, but it’s the way today’s media works.
Steve
@Tom in Lazybrook: All of that can be brought to light. The method is called “civil lawsuit”. The many witnesses, and especially pictures or video, will bring the matter to light.
Officers of the law are often accused of using excessive force, so defending them is an automatic reaction for the supervising officers and politicians. The officers have a lot of latitude in choosing how much force to apply in most situations. As a result, an ‘excessive force’ charge is hardly ever proven.
But, officers of the law have a sworn duty to be truthful in their official statements. A demonstrably false statement on a police report is a really big deal. A video that contradicts an officers sworn statement can lead to very serious consequences for the officer.
Helga von ornstein
You know, after hearing about an incident in NYC where 50 bullets were fired at a car that was not firing back nor even speeding trying to get away I am not surprised to hear an attempt being made by police in Texas claiming the man injured himself outside the bar regardless of the fact that no less than 75 people witnessed otherwise inside the bar.
It really does disgust me to hear crap like this. Here in NYC back in the winter men were being arrested by 20 something year old police officers who claimed the men, several 50+ in years, tried to “hustle” them, the officer. One of the men was here on business from overseas and was staying at the Waldorf hotel but we are asked to believe he was turning $20 tricks in a bookstore. It just defies belief what the police THINK they can get away with.
NYC has turned policing into a business for it’s officers and the economy is only fueling more abuses just to get higher up in rank to make more money. I question many “drug arrests” because once again people are being busted for “roaches” and half joints.
The officer charged with emptying two 17 shot clips at that “fleeing” car that was not firing back nor even had a weapon inside is still on the force regardless of the fact he was a known diciplinary problem along with several attempts to have him fired were unsuccessful.
Don’t be surprised if it turns out his clones in Texa make him appear to be Santa Claus.