Tempers Flare During Raid at the Rainbow Lounge
By JANE GEELAN-SAYRES
Updated 11:44 PM CST, Sun, Jun 28, 2009
Members of the North Texas gay community call for action after they say patrons were roughed up at a local gay club by law enforcement.
Police said six officers with the Fort Worth Police Department and two Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission agents arrived at The Rainbow Lounge, located at 615 Jennings Street, early Sunday morning to conduct a scheduled inspection.
And according to the Fort Worth Police Department, just one day before the raid, the owner of the bar told officers they were welcome anytime to conduct an inspection of the business.
Several officers stayed outside while other's entered the place of business.
In a news release, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department said, an "extremely intoxicated patron made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor."
That person, and six other patrons, were arrested for public intoxication.
The release also said a TABC agent was assaulted when a patron grabbed the agent's groin.
"If police are coming in and arresting people are you going to grab police in the groin," said Chuck Potter, witness. "Are you going to make sexual advances? no, no you're not."
Clubgoers told a different story, saying they were roughed up by the officers. One NBC 5 viewer snapped cell phone pictures during the raid.
On Sunday night, about 100 supporters gathered on the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse to protest the police raid.
This action comes on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn raid in Greenwich Village in New York, cited by some as the first time members of the gay community fought back to defend their rights.
First Published: Jun 28, 2009 8:41 PM CST
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