Texas agency investigating its raid on gay bar
Angela K. BrownThe Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is investigating its joint police raid on a gay bar that left one man hospitalized with a head injury and sparked claims of brutality and procedure violations.
The agency said Wednesday it would review the agents' actions and determine how Chad Gibson was hurt. He was in a TABC agent's custody when he was injured, and he needed treatment for alcohol poisoning, according to the agency.
"We are saddened that this incident occurred and extend our sincere hope that Mr. Gibson recovers quickly," agency Administrator Alan Steen said in a statement. "I take seriously all allegations concerning inappropriate or illegal behavior by our employees."
Gibson, 26, was in fair condition Wednesday at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, hospital spokeswoman Jamie Brown said. His family has said he suffered bleeding on the brain.
Early Sunday morning, some TABC agents and Fort Worth police officers went to the Rainbow Lounge after going to two other bars that don't have a gay clientele. Authorities said they were doing routine inspections to ensure compliance with state alcoholic beverage laws. In all, more than a dozen people were arrested for public intoxication, a misdemeanor.
But some Rainbow Lounge patrons said authorities grabbed people or shoved them onto the ground. They have denied police claims that anyone groped or made lewd gestures toward officers. On Sunday night about 100 people protested in Fort Worth, and a vigil was to be held at the bar Wednesday night.
Todd Camp, who was celebrating his 43rd birthday there that night, said the TABC agents didn't identify themselves, and the back of their shirts read "state police," so many were confused about why they were there.
"If anyone dared ask what was going on, they were handcuffed or taken out," said Camp, the founder and artistic director of Q Cinema, Fort Worth's gay and lesbian international film festival. "I was afraid that night, and I don't want to be afraid of the police. It's a question of fair treatment and respect."
Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has said that gay people were not targeted in the inspection and has asked people at the bar that night to come forward with information that could help his department's internal investigation.
According to a police report, the officers conducted "bar checks" at three places that "are known to routinely over-serve alcohol to patrons who are already intoxicated to a degree they are a danger to themselves and others."
But the Rainbow Lounge, a gay bar for years, had just reopened with a new name and manager after being closed for a couple of years, Camp said.
Police did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.
City Councilman Joel Burns, one of two city officials who sought a police investigation into the raid, said Monday that he was particularly disappointed of the raid's timing. It occurred on the 40th anniversary of a New York City police raid on the Stonewall Inn that touched off a riot and subsequent demonstrations that fueled the gay rights movement in the U.S.
Burns said then that Fort Worth police were unaware of the anniversary.