Gay bar raid investigation results in suspension of Sergeant

by smkovalinsky | November 6, 2009 at 05:23 am

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The Fort Worth Police Department has issued a statement that a sergeant and two officers have been suspended in connection with police clash at the Rainbow Lounge on June 28. The announcement comes after a 4 month internal investigation.

Police clashed with hundreds of bar patrons on June 28 during a raid of the gay bar.

Days after the June 28 raid, a LGBT association took reports from patrons about "what they witnessed at the Rainbow Lounge raid" and emphasis was placed on the fact that gay patrons accounts were at odds with the police reports. The gay account can be read here

Though the investigation found that the officers had violated department policies, the agency cleared them of allegations that they had used excessive force. The suspensions ranged from one to three days.
The Rainbow Lounge raid was conducted by Fort Worth police officers and agents of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on June 28, on the 40th anniversary of the police raid on New York's Stonewall Inn, an event often regarded as the launch of the modern gay rights movement. Gay rights leaders said the Texas raid evoked memories of past conflicts with police.

Seven people at the bar were arrested, and witnesses said one man had his head slammed into a door by agents. Chad Gibson, 26, was hospitalized with a brain injury and released a week later.

The Police Department found that the officers had, among other things, used poor judgment in conducting the check on liquor licenses and other permits; failed to complete police reports by the end of the shift; and inappropriately arrested a patron for a "drunk look" and later released the person to a friend who worked for the department.