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Jun 30, 2009 7:54 pm US/Central
Outrage Grows After Fort Worth Gay Bar Raid
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
There is growing public backlash after police clashed with patrons of a Fort Worth bar this past weekend.
People from around the country are expressing concerns that police tactics were harsh because most of the Rainbow Lounge patrons were gay. One man was seriously injured in the operation and is in intensive care with blood around his brain.
As early news spread over the internet, e-mailers flooded Fort Worth leaders with angry letters. The club's manager was overwhelmed with e-mails and text messages of support. "Yes," said Randy Norman, Rainbow Lounge manager. "From this little, small bar where we had this happen to get so much national support."
The national attention comes from papers coast to coast, national media and even international press picking up the story online. The Rainbow Lounge has become a focal point.
"I think its going to get the community aware that we are here," Norman said. "We are here to stay. That we are a vital part of the community. We are going to stand strong."
Many at Fort Worth City Hall worry there is a rush to judgement against Fort Worth. After all, some city leaders say, the photo from the raid apparantly shows TABC agents on top of a man, and that agency remains silent. And city leaders say, many of the online articles quote people demanding an investigation that is already underway.
"I'm concerned that people are getting the wrong impression," said Fort Worth mayor pro-tem Kathleen Hicks. "Obviously, we called for an investigation and that's exactly what's occuring. We will get to the bottom of this. And I don't want anyone to feel like they are not welcome in this city and we're not an inclusive city, because that's simply not the case."
One other worry city leaders express is that the officers are being judged in the public eye before an investigation is complete. Lounge management doesn't share that concern. "They know they did wrong," Norman said. "There's no question in my mind that they did wrong. So, I can't see them coming back and saying that at all."
The club management says it continues to cooperate completely with a Fort Worth Police Department internal affairs investigation.
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