10/21/2009
TABC Agent in Rainbow Lounge Raid Says Gays Weren't Targeted
Chris Aller, a TABC agent who was fired following the June raid on Fort Worth's Rainbow Lounge, says gays weren't specifically targeted for the raid, and maintains his claim that he was groped by Chad Gibson, a patron who sustained head injuries during the incident.
"'We went through looking for intoxicated people,' said Chris Aller, a former agent with the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission. 'That's what we were looking for.' Aller, another TABC agent and seven Fort Worth police officers inspected two other bars the night of June 28 and decided to stop by the Rainbow Lounge because it was new and close, he said in an interview Tuesday. When asked directly if officers targeted the bar because it catered to gays, he said, 'No, not even close.' 'Actually I have quite a few friends who are homosexual,' he said. 'I lived with a couple gay guys in college. They were roommates.' The raid sparked protests and quickly erupted into a national controversy after patrons complained that police seemed hyped up and looked for a fight. 'I was not Rambo. I like that quote,' Aller said. 'I was doing what I was trained to do.' But he admitted the timing was unfortunate."
As for Gibson: "Aller said Gibson groped him with the back of his hand while he was walking in a back hallway. 'I mean not hard, but he hit me. I mean, my badge was right here, so it was obvious he knew who I was,' he said, pointing to the front part of his belt."
I don't know about you, but I've never groped anybody with the back of my hand.
Posted 9:20 AM EST by Andy Towle in Fort Worth, Gay Bar, Law Enforcement, News, Texas | Permalink
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"Actually, I have quite a few friends who are homosexual."
After this fiasco, I doubt it.
Posted by: David D. | Oct 21, 2009 9:27:37 AM
"Homosexual"=Code word used by bigots.
Posted by: The Realist | Oct 21, 2009 9:30:14 AM
And when someone "gropes" you with "the back of their hand", the next logical thing to do is to beat them until they sustain brain injuries.
Nope, no bigotry here. Let's just hope this guy's 'homosexual' friends never actually touch him.
Posted by: David D. | Oct 21, 2009 9:40:26 AM
I like it that heterosexual men are now telling us all that some of their best friends are gay. It just solidifies the bigotry argument.
Groped with the back of his hand. Neat trick.
Posted by: Sean | Oct 21, 2009 9:48:28 AM
Aller Didn't just happen to walk into the back of Gibson's hand just like he didn't happen back into that door knot he's got stuck up his ass.
Posted by: The Realist | Oct 21, 2009 10:00:07 AM
Note to homophobic officer: You don't call your so-called gay friends, homosexual; and I'm still trying to figure out how you grope someone with the back of your hand. Those must have been some REALLY flexible fingers that were able to bend backwards.
Final assessment: he's a lying sack of shite
Posted by: David in Houston | Oct 21, 2009 10:00:37 AM
door knob. sorry. not sure what i was thinking.
Posted by: The Realist | Oct 21, 2009 10:01:23 AM
Ok so if in fact "they were looking for Intoxicated People" show me your reports from the previous 6 months that detail the same types of inspections done in the rest of your district to include all the straight bars!!!
mmmmm I thought so!! NONE
Posted by: alex in Boston | Oct 21, 2009 10:18:02 AM
Just think folks. Someday, we'll all be telling our children what it was like to live during the Dark Ages of gay rights.
Posted by: Mitch Shea | Oct 21, 2009 10:24:38 AM
How does one grope with the back of their hand? I know one can touch with it, but to me groping requires the dexterity of the fingers to grab for a brief period (i.e grope). One can not do that with the back of the hand.
So if someone brushes past an officer with the back of hand, then the proper recourse is to beat the sensless?
Hate to think what would have happened if he would have blown a kiss to the officer. It probably is a hanging offense in Texas.
Posted by: kujhawker | Oct 21, 2009 10:30:07 AM
Wait, they were looking for intoxicated people...in a bar? Is it illegal to be intoxicated in a bar? I don't get it. What's the problem with that?
Posted by: Donny B | Oct 21, 2009 10:41:55 AM
The "some of my best friends are 'homosexual'" line is geting tiresome and it's also transparent. Supporters of Queens gay-bashing suspect Daniel Rodriguez are using that same worn-out statement to assert that Rodriguez and his accomplice didn't put Jack Price in a coma because he was gay.
"he made a pass at me"..."he groped me"..."he looked at me 'in that way'", so of course, Your Honor, I had to attack him...why don't we hear stories about gay men attacking women who flirt with them, out of "straight panic"?
Posted by: Nathan James | Oct 21, 2009 11:17:29 AM
Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
Posted by: FunMe | Oct 21, 2009 2:29:38 PM
"We went through looking for intoxicated people."
Of course there are going to be intoxicated people. It's a fucking bar!
Since when is it illegal to be drink in a BAR??
Posted by: PatrickPatrick | Oct 21, 2009 8:43:01 PM
Nice things have been mentioned..
Tia Smith
Posted by: buy forclosed homes | Nov 9, 2009 1:42:09 AM