Dallas Eagle Gay Bar Raided as Questions Linger in Fort Worth

A second Dallas-area gay bar, The Eagle, was raided on Friday night just two weeks after a raid at the nearby Rainbow Lounge left one patron with a head injury and many questions remaining:

Houston Chronicle: "Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials entered the Dallas Eagle club around midnight Friday. The raid came a few weeks after the raid of a Fort Worth club where witnesses claimed authorities were overly aggressive. A guard at the Eagle says TABC officials were questioning whether the address on the liquor license was changed after the club reopened just yards from its previous location. Gay activist Rick Vanderslice says he is 'outraged' and wants to know what is prompting the raids."

The Rare Reporter has a thorough summary of reports on the incident and says that officers wore "ninja" masks.

The Chaser Blog has photos.

Meanwhile, questions linger from the Rainbow Lounge incident: "Was the club singled out for inspection by Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers because it caters to gays? Were the officers fueled by homophobic hang-ups as they knocked drinks out of people's hands, slamming one young man into a pool table and gang-tackling 26-year-old Chad Gibson, the Euless computer technician who wound up in the ICU with a blood clot in his brain? Or did the officers – confronted with a chaotic scene and an antagonistic crowd – use appropriate force to subdue unruly drunks?"

For What It's Fort Worth

Via AfterElton: Above is a chart showing crimes committed in Forth Worth the same day as the alleged public drunkenness happening inside the Rainbow Lounge the day it was violently raided, including theft, assault, vandalism and burglary. Police Chief Jeff Halstead sure knows how to allocate his resources.

Chad Gibson Speaks Out, Calls for Prosecutions: "It Shouldn't Have Happened"

Chad Gibson, beaten during the infamous Rainbow Lounge raid, is speaking out on his injuries and says he has no memory of what happened.

"I was at the bar buying drinks for my friends and I. The next thing I remember is waking up in the ICU. I'm just appalled that they took it to the level that they did."

Gibson's blood clot behind his right eye poses a threat to his health if it does not dissolve gradually.

"A lot of the doctors I've talked to say you can't get this kind of blow to the head from just falling, if I had just fallen like they said I did."

Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead still maintains it was not his department but the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) who arrested Gibson. Gibson—who is currently seeking legal advice—doesn't buy that, demanding that responsibility be taken.

"I want the truth."

In an interview with WFAA-TV, Gibson went further, saying the police officers involved should be prosecuted for what he terms "a cover-up."

He's grateful for all the support he's getting, saying, "There are so many people out there that are doing that fight for me."

No More "Bar Checks" for Fort Worth

Via Joe.My.God.: Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has ordered sensitivity training for his officers and the department has announced it is suspending "bar checks" as outrage continues over the infamous raids on the Rainbow Lounge that resulted in a severe head injury for Chad Gibson. This won't keep him from having headaches for two years, but at least it's finally the beginning of an appropriate response.

UPDATE: Check out the comments for contact info that will come in handy when letting Fort Worth know that this belated response is a baby step in the right direction...but is not nearly enough.

Agents on Desk Duty After Raid; Vigil Held at Fort Worth Gay Bar

As outrage across the nation grows, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission says two agents involved in the arrest of Chad Gibson, who sustained traumatic head injuries following a raid late Saturday night at the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth, Texas, have been placed on desk duty while an internal investigation is being conducted. ... A photo shows the TABC agents on top of him on the floor. No Fort Worth officers are visible. Witnesses also said there was a struggle after he was escorted outside the bar when at least one TABC agent tried to hold him down. Investigators are looking into the possibility Gibson's injury occurred when he fell outside the bar."

More than 200 people attended a vigil for Gibson outside the Rainbow Lounge last night. Footage of last night's vigil, AFTER THE JUMP...

And CBS11 reports: "State Senator Wendy Davis and State Representative Lon Burnam want an investigation, too. In a joint statement they said, 'It is our hope that an objective, outside investigation be made which would examine internal investigation reports of both the Fort Worth Police Department and the TABC, as well as eye witness accounts.'"

A group of private citizens is calling for an independent investigation.

While Gibson's condition is improving, doctors told him "he'd have headaches for two years."

Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has used a classic "gay panic" excuse for the officers' roughness at the bar, saying he was "happy" with how it was handled: "Monday, police chief Jeff Halstead said the officers' actions are being investigated. However, he also said that officers that entered the bar during the scheduled inspection were touched inappropriately. 'You're touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that's offensive,' he said. 'I'm happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that.'"

But, "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."

Following the outrage, Halstead is now adopting a different tone: "We’ve got to work together. Be patient, and you will see that this is just not lip service. I will meet with you wherever you want to meet. I will go to your restaurants, your house, we can eat barbecue, whatever you want to do. But we’ve got to talk. We will heal beyond this."

Here are more details from a public forum held on Tuesday night at Buzzbrews in Dallas.

Footage of last night's vigil, AFTER THE JUMP...

Candlelight Vigil Planned as Police Chief Floats 'Gay Panic' Defense in Violent Bar Raid in Fort Worth, Texas

Here's an update on activity following the Stonewall-style raid on the recently-opened Rainbow Lounge bar in Fort Worth, Texas which resulted in seven arrests for "public intoxication" and a massive head injury to one of the patrons of the bar.

Tonight, there is a candlelight vigil at 8:30 pm at the Rainbow Lounge (651 South Jennings Ave), where the raid occurred, in honor of injured victim Chad Gibson (more on his condition below). Gibson's arrest pictured, below right.

Gibson's mother speaks out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Here's the sickest bit of news about it I've read so far, a statement by Fort Worth police chief Jeff Halstead (via Dan Savage): "Monday, police chief Jeff Halstead said the officers' actions are being investigated. However, he also said that officers that entered the bar during the scheduled inspection were touched inappropriately. 'You're touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that's offensive,' he said. 'I'm happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that.'"

Read that last sentence again. As Savage translates: "Them faggots in that thar bar touched mah officers and now they're complainin' about some rough stuff and one little ol' faggot with a brain injury? Those perverts should be grateful they're alive."

Classic gay panic defense.

The Fort Worth Police also say that Gibson, at the time of his arrest, was in the custody of a State Police officer, not one of the FWPD.

The Rainbow Lounge Raid's Facebook page is growing at a steady rate. An article in the Star-Telegram highlights new media's role in getting the word out about this incident.

Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks has called for an immediate and comprehensive investigation:

"I join with Councilman Joel Burns in wanting all citizens of Texas and Fort Worth to know and be assured that the laws and ordinances of our City will be applied fairly, equally and without selective enforcement or targeting. As an African American I understand the distrust and fear that grows throughout a community when the belief that there is no recourse or protection is allowed to grow and fester."

Equality Texas has demanded that Mayor Moncrief and all Fort Worth City Council members call for an investigation. They have provided a FORM LETTER that will be sent to municipal officals.

An update on Chad Gibson, the man who sustained a head injury during the raid, from his sister Kristy Morgan:

"Kristy said the most recent CAT scans have shown that the blood clot on Chad’s brain has stopped growing, which is good news, but he is not out of the woods yet. She said doctors told the family that as long as the clot remains — whether it is growing or not — there is the chance that all or some of it could break loose and cause severe damage or death, or that the bleeding could start up again. At this point, Kristy said, doctors are not talking about having to do surgery to repair the bleed or remove the clot. They believe that the clot will eventually dissolve and be reabsorbed into the body, but that could take anywhere from six months to two years. Chad will likely be hospitalized at least for the rest of this week, and will then have to have follow-up appointments and consultations with a neurosurgeon."

Chad Gibson's mother speaks out, AFTER THE JUMP...

There was a public forum with Fort Worth Police Department chief Halstead:

"After the meeting had started, Chief Halstead announced that the director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission had just issued a statement acknowledging that Chad Gibson, who has been hospitalized with a head injury since the incident, was injured while in the custody of TABC agents. Chief Halstead said that determining who was responsible for Gibson’s injury has been the priority of his department’s investigation so far. Now that that is settled, the chief said, the focus for his department will turn to getting as much information as possible regarding the actions of FWPD officers during the incident. To that end, he is asking that anyone and everyone who was at the bar that night and was an eyewitness to the events contact Capt. Garcia at 817-392-4270 to give their account. He said it is vital to a thorough investigation to get as much information as possible from those who were there."

Chad Gibson's mother speaks out, AFTER THE JUMP...