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Loading ...Report cites violations in raid of Texas gay bar
08.07.2009 9:52am EDT
(Fort Worth, Texas) Two Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents who took part in a June police raid on a gay bar failed to report they used force when arresting a patron or that he suffered a serious head injury, according to a report released Thursday.
Agent Christopher Aller and agent trainee Jason Chapman also are accused of participating in the June 28 raid without their supervisor’s approval, disrupting the business during the raid and wearing improper attire, according to the report obtained by The Associated Press under the Texas Open Records Act.The investigation found that one of the agents’ supervisors, Sgt. Terry Parsons, failed to ensure the agents submitted a report on using force during the arrest, did not take appropriate action after learning they didn’t wear proper attire during the raid and did not notify supervisors that multiple arrests had been made that night, the report states.
Aller and Chapman have been placed on desk duty pending the investigation’s outcome, and Parsons decided to retire. All three could face disciplinary action ranging from a verbal warning to job termination for numerous policy violations, but no decision has been made on any penalties, agency spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said.
Aller and Chapman accompanied six Fort Worth police officers on a raid of the just opened Rainbow Lounge in what police initially billed as a routine liquor license inspection for a new business. The raid led to several arrests and one patron, Chad Gibson, was hospitalized with a severe head injury he suffered while in the agents’ custody, the agency and police have said.
Gay rights groups have protested the raid and demanded independent investigations, saying the bar was targeted because it catered to a gay clientele. Police have denied the accusation. The raid came on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the days of unrest that followed a police raid on a New York gay bar.
Police previously said Gibson was intoxicated and had fallen down on his own during his arrest. But in the report, Aller and Chapman said they were struggling to handcuff Gibson, so they and an officer pinned him against a wall, kicked one of his legs out, tried a pressure-point technique on his face and moved him to the ground.
According to the report, Chapman said that during the commotion he landed on Gibson’s legs but got up and handcuffed him and led him from the club. Chapman said he saw no blood on the floor or injury to Gibson and that Gibson didn’t complain of being hurt, but that Gibson began vomiting and fell on his face on the pavement after being told he would be charged with public intoxication and assault.
Gibson was released from the hospital after a week, but has said he has a blood clot behind his right eye.
In the report, Chapman – a trainee since April – acknowledged violations but said, “We conducted ourselves in a professional manner. We had some hiccups on policy. There’s no two ways about that and that’s my responsibility.”
Aller, who has been with the agency since 2004, also acknowledged some policy violations but said he didn’t violate anybody’s constitutional rights.
He added that the inspection “had nothing to do with it being a gay bar.”
When questioned about following up with the agents and his other duties after the raid, Parsons accepted responsibility, the report states.
Another report will address whether the agents’ use of force was appropriate during the raid, Beck said.
Fort Worth police are conducting their own investigation.
They should be fired and set to jail!
Aller, who has been with the agency since 2004, also acknowledged some policy violations but said he didn’t violate anybody’s constitutional rights….He added that the inspection “had nothing to do with it being a gay bar.”
He’s most likely telling the truth here…they would think nothing of violating the rights of ANYONE or beating the crap out of anyone. Great way to train the “new guy”! Public Servant….to serve and protect…WHOM?
FIRE the many abusive, power-hungry P.O.S.’s! And then RECALL the mayor for his insincere, sarcastic and sanctimonius “public apology”. Arrogant smart-ass. I still would not visit just about ANY part of Texas.
Ok so rouge cops without warrents or even approval went into bar in civilian clothes to beat the daylites out of law abbiding citezens.
So its a bloody riot but because the blood thirsty crown had badges in there pockets they claim a raid?
For a raid need to have criminal behavior oh its texas guess just being gay qualifies. Least they werent lesbians in el paso there you get arrested on trumped up charges & gang raped by “police”
Slowly, pieces of the truth are starting to come out. Truth is that both the cops and the ABC agents lied, they know it, and they’re trying to figure out how to save themselves. For those of you who don’t work for a government agency, understand that there are ALWAYS rules regarding your conduct while you’re doing your job. Mediocrity won’t cost you your job (when does it ever?), but “minor” things like on-point rules violations can add up. (Example: if I were late one minute, every day, for seven days, I would be fired with cause.) Loyalty among ABC agents probably isn’t as strong as it is among cops, so I’m guessing that there will soon be at least two ABC agents no longer working for that agency, and they might also be facing criminal charges. They’re too much of a political liability.
“Chad Gibson, was hospitalized with a severe head injury he suffered while in the agents’ custody, the agency and police have said.” NOT all head injuries bleed, Mr. Didn’t see blood.
In fact internal non-bleeding ones are the WORST WORST and often permanent. Better find a new line of work.
It’s about time that “some” of those ABC’s & the texas police, are being punished. Although sitting at a desk job doesn’t sound like punishment to me, it sounds like a few days of not being in the hot sun.
Will punishment ever be equal to all? NO it will not. Work for the government, and get used to the superiors, giving you dirty looks, as punishment.
When I lived in Dallas in the 60’s and 70’s it was not unusal for the bars and bath houses to be raided. Everyone knew that if the house lights came on it was a raid. Still, if you hand your arm around someone could get you arreses. The you posted bond and you were outed as you name was listed in the paper.
this ridiculous! first time I ever heard of Gay bar Raided by the Police Department of Dallas/Ft.Worth.. omg they need to be fired.. or reassigned to another city.
I’ll admit that this incident has done us some good down here.
Due to protests in Ft. Worth, they now have an LGBTI liaison in their police department; the state has fired those involved in wrongfully raiding the bar, removing those homophobs in uniform from the streets; it’s created a new center of activism that was strong in Dallas but almost non-existent in Ft. Worth, Dallas’s sister city; it’s unified and strengthened the area’s already strong LGBTI movement; and many other things.
Among other things, it’s also bulstered attention to the LGBTI community in this area, an area that has progressed a lot in favor of our community.
My own university’s LGBTI student-run org at the University of North Texas (we’re in a city about 40 miles north of both Ft. Worth and Dallas) has benefited us – with our involvement with the activism in Ft. Worth – in numerous ways. We now have connections to community orgs that we had never had before. We also have the confidence to help other area university LGBTI orgs (all very very small) and serve as a model for them to grow and become successful.
I could go on and on.
We’ve definitely made lemonade out of this big bigoted lemon.
Peace, love, & Texas rainbows!
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