Here’s a good web-exclusive video report by “Star-T” staffer Chris Kelly about the FW police raid on the Rainbow Lounge. Texas Stonewall Democrats are the latest to condemn the highly questionable actions of the police department and the TABC, following the national Human Rights Campaign organization. “Dallas Voice” has posted its own collection of eyewitness accounts by Rainbow Lounge patrons.
On the question of whether the police knew they were hitting the Rainbow on the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, I suspect that no, they really didn’t. Based on the vague and bumbling “official statement” about what transpired that night (including an allegation of “dry humping” that my colleague Jeff Prince blogged about), I don’t think most of them are that clever.
This incident is like a visible lesion. A sign of a sub-dermal cancer that is endemic of FWPD’s intolerance of residents’ alternative sexual orientation. The Chief himself is to blame for letting this cancer grow unchecked to the point that it manifested itself in a planned raid scheduled to coincide on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion.
I don’t live in FW but I hope they demand the Chief’s resignation, the firing of all bad cops involved in this travesty of law enforcement, the establishment of a GLBT community liaison like we have in Dallas, and proper screening of intolerant Police Academy applicants among other necessary reforms.
Fort Worth has many gay establishments that have not have trouble, The Rainbow club patrons do more to bring down accomplishment b y the GLBT community, this incident is being blown as far out of proportion, any tine the Fort Worth Police Depart put the beat down on me I deserved, After 48 years in Tarrant I have never been unjustifyingly arested, I was always being an asshole, the limp wristed creeps at the Rainbow need to firm up and be men instead of being men that want to act like a bunch of sissified twinks. It was a TABC inspespection, no more no less, get use to it it happens. I have had TABC cone into clubs while I was in one, you be cool treat them with respect and things will workout better and you can become a respected club, insted of what you are.