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Loading ...Fort Worth mayor says apology for injury, not raid
07.16.2009 10:30am EDT
(Fort Worth, Texas) Fort Worth’s mayor says an apology he issued at a City Council meeting wasn’t for law enforcement’s raid on a Texas gay bar, but for the fact that a man was seriously injured.
Mayor Mike Moncrief (MAHN’-creef) made an impromptu apology during Tuesday night’s meeting where officials and residents commented on last month’s raid on the Rainbow Lounge, which left one man hospitalized with a serious head injury.Moncrief had told the crowd: “If you want an apology from your mayor: I am sorry about what happened in Fort Worth.”
City spokesman Bill Begley (BAY’-glee) said Wednesday the mayor and council always are sorry if someone is hurt in the city.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Fort Worth Police Department are investigating the raid, which was conducted jointly by their agencies.
@ Todd. You’re kind of an effing moron! Texas will not “succeed” from the union! Texas already succeeds in many ways, clearly ways in which you do not! ……possibly you meant secede? Perhaps you are the “Bubba”.
And I do not kow what more you expect the Mayor to say. It is not as if he had anything to do with the raid on the bar. He merely presides over the city in which it occured. He is not going to step on the toes of the investigators by making premature apologies. Regardless of the situation, it is regrettable that a man was seriously injured. This is what the Mayor apologizes for, as he should, but nothing more.
Jeff C’s comments make me sick. You take the side of the police without knowing the facts, simply because they are police and they should carry more weight?! You are a naive individual at best and an Uncle Tom at worst.
Hi Tara. He said she said can be a problem for sure, and I am sure that there are “crooked” cops out there, but in this case there were multiple police officers on scene with reports that matched. While one could still argue that they were trying to “cover up” what really happened, I would still argue that an official report from a law enforcement officer should hold more weight than first hand reports from drunk bar patrons. Even a cellphone recording can be thrown out of court because it can be edited to make things appear to happen way differently than they did. Personal feelings aside I would say that most people would tend to accept the official report submitted by the police officers involved in the incident. While one or two of the officers might “fudge” the report to cover up something they did I find it hard to believe that every single officer involved in the incident would make false statements to help cover up the actions of a fellow officer. Let’s do as you suggested and wait and see what the upcoming investigations do or don’t uncover.
Jeff,
First of all it comes down to he said/he said.
The office reported it that way, but does he have proof that it happened? He could be lying to cover up the fact that what he did in the raid. After all there have been bad cops that plant or justified what they have done.
From the evidence gathered there were a number people with cell phones recording what actually went on. When those recordings are release I think a clear picture will be formed and we will know what went on.
Until that time we have to wait and see.
Where is our “fierce advocate” now???? – hiding in the closet on his true opinions and true intentions thats were!!!!
Interesting information came out about the raid concerning the behavior of the bar patrons during the raid itself toward the officer’s involved. Read about it here…http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Cops-Report-Bar-Patrons-Groped-Me-Blew-Kisses.html#19QSfGC1EIB
One of the officers involved stated in his police report that “I felt my gun being pushed on, and turned around to see a male behind me,” wrote the officer, identified as K. Gober. “I spun around and grabbed (the suspect’s) right hand, moving it away from my gun, and I saw (the suspect) leaning his hips forward and making physical contact with my right leg, as if he were having sex with me from behind.” The article goes on to state that “In his report, Gober wrote that another man who was arrested “kissed two of his fingers and then blew a kiss at (an) officer.” He also said other patrons yelled obscenities at officers and displayed “their middle finger in protest.” It sounds to me like the bar patrons were acting in a very immoral and ILLEGAL way. Law.com defines battery as “The actual intentional striking of someone, with intent to harm, or in a “rude and insolent manner” even if the injury is slight.” By their definition the bar patrons were guilty of BATTERY against the police officer and broke the law, which meant that the officer had no choice but to arrest them. Stop complaining about how bad the FW Police department is and start looking at how bad these bar patrons behaved and made the BGLT community as a whole look. The class displayed by the bar patrons shows that many in the BGLT community have NO RESPECT for anyone who challenges their way of life or disagrees with their lifestyle.
It’s TEXAS! What do you expect. ofcourse they say that the gay bar wasn’t targeted in a state that is the buckle of the “bible belt”.
Will chalk up another one for Fort Worth Police Department of terrorism. Does any one know were they plan to put the ovens?
Bubba’s Bubba’s and MORE Bubba’s — they are everywhere! This happens in a great deal of places…and until there is a federal hate crimes bill, and non discrimination acts — they will just keep getting away with it! Whatever happened to the notion that Texas was going to succeed from the rest of the country! Get on with that, and leave!
Just shows how insincere the bastards are. The apology was just “cover my ass.”
Well that really clears the air. He is reserved in being culpable for the raid. That could cost the city a lot of money and to admit the guilt by apologizing would certainly be an admission of wrong doing. They aren’t out of the woods by any means. One or more of the police who attacked Mr. Gibson will be brought up on charges, in my opinion. This is far from over.
Is there anyway that a FEDERAL investigation can be launched?
What a F… head.