Petrelis Files

Cops Raid Texas Gay Bar on Pride Sunday;
Protest Planned in Ft. Worth

(Cops raiding a Texas gay bar early this morning. Photo by Chuck Potter of the Dym-Sum blog.

(More photos from Chuck Potter, posted at Dallas Voice site.)

The good people at the Dallas Voice blog Instant Tea, are doing a great job reporting on the raid this morning at a Ft. Worth gay bar. While it's totally awful that the cops chose to bust this bar and arrest folks, the spirit of Stonewall is alive and well and fighting back. A protest is already planned for later today.

How did that old chant go in the heyday of ACT UP and Queer Nation? Oh, yes, I recall it.

"Gays and lesbians under attack. Waddya we do? Act up! Fight back!"

Some posts from the Dallas Voice blog:

I got a phone call at 3 this morning from Todd Camp, the founder of Q Cinema and former reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It was Camp’s birthday and the night of a special Q Cinema screening of two Stonewall documentaries… because it was ALSO the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, as anyone knows.

Except, apparently, the Fort Worth PD.

Or maybe worse, they DID know and wanted to make a point.

The horrific details after the jump.

According to Camp, the newly-opened Rainbow Lounge is “the only cool gay bar in town,” but the police raided it, arresting numerous patrons for no reason.

I got another perspective in my in-box this morning:

The not awesome thing was the paddy wagon of homophobic police that showed up … looking for trouble. My group and I were sitting on the back patio at a picnic table. Nobody was being wild out there.

[The police] came through with flashlights, being loud asking what was going on out here, then asked why everyone was all the sudden being quiet.

When one group started up their conversations again, they took one guy away. I left shortly after and as I walked through the front bar there were numerous cops with plastic handcuffs all ready to go. I [left] the bar and they [had] a big van in the parking lot and numerous cars on the street.

And just so you know, it wasn’t fire hazard crowded or seedy wild in there. … The worst part is [friends later told me] that [the police] had numerous people face down on the ground outside.

I just moved to Fort Worth from Dallas, so this is such a shock to me. I know Dallas would not put up with this. … I am still so shocked it is 2009 and this just happened.

Here's the info on the protest:

[Bar patron] Chuck Potter called. They are asking that people gather at the Rainbow Lounge at 5 p.m. today. Then there will be a protest outside the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth at 7 p.m.

Rainbow Lounge is located at 615 S. Jennings. The courthouse is on Weatherford at Main St.

Parking downtown in all parking garages and at all meters. There is a parking garage very near the courthouse, at Weatherford and Throckmorton.

CORRECTION:

Dear Michael:

I really appreciate that you acknowledged my blog this afternoon. Even more, I appreciate that you acknowledged the horrible events in Fort Worth last night.

On the other hand, I have to correct you: Chuck is not part of my blog. I'm the only person over here in DYM SUM land. Trust me, though, Chuck sounds like a really fantastic guy, and we could use him in our grassroots organizations in Massachusetts. I'd love to actually talk to him someday.

At any rate, thanks again, and Happy Pride! :-)

--
Regards,

Dave Mailloux