FORT WORTH, TEXAS — A crowd of more than 100 protesters chanted "No more!" from the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse on Sunday evening as they demanded an investigation of a police raid that happened hours earlier at a gay nightclub.
One patron was seriously injured during the raid at the Rainbow Lounge, which resulted in the arrests of seven people, protesters said.
Speaker after speaker decried what they called excessive force during the raid, an accusation that police dispute.
"I was scared," said Todd Camp, a former Star-Telegram writer who helped organize the protest. "I have never seen anything like this in my life."
The rally lasted about 20 minutes, and then some protesters marched down Main Street, holding signs and waving flags. A second protest is planned for 7 p.m. Sunday at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The Fort Worth raid occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, when police raided the Stonewall Inn on the night of June 28, 1969. The protest by gays against police harassment helped trigger the U.S. gay-rights movement.
"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," Fort Worth Councilman Joel Burns said Sunday in a statement. "We 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 account of what occurred."
Witnesses said police arrived at about 1 a.m. at the Rainbow Lounge on South Jennings Street. They said a man who was arrested suffered a fractured skull and is in a Fort Worth hospital. His condition could not be obtained Sunday night.
Fort Worth police released a statement Sunday saying that the Rainbow Lounge was one of three bars targeted by six Fort Worth police officers, a supervisor and two agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The group first went to the Rosedale Saloon and Cowboy Palace on Rosedale Street. Nine people were arrested, police reported.
The investigators then went to the Rainbow Lounge, the police statement said. While they were walking through the nightclub, an "extremely intoxicated patron made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor," the statement said. The person was arrested for public intoxication.
Another intoxicated person also made sexually explicit movements toward an officer and was arrested for public intoxication, the statement said. A third person assaulted a TABC agent by grabbing the agent’s groin, according to the statement. He was taken outside and arrested for public intoxication. He was released to paramedics as he was vomiting repeatedly, police said.
Another officer then asked for assistance from inside the club with an intoxicated patron who was resisting arrest. This person was put on the floor to control and apprehend him, police reported.
The department will conduct a thorough investigation of any allegations, the statement said.
The general manager of the Rainbow Lounge and several patrons dispute the police account, saying officers harassed patrons and used excessive force.
"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 was then thrown to the ground, and three other officers were on him."
Several patrons said the officers were never assaulted.
"I have friends who are cops, and I know what to do when officers are working," Camp said. "No one was acting aggressive to officers."
General manager Randy Norman said the bar had been open just a week, and it had complied with all ordinances.
from The Star Telegram
No comments:
Post a Comment