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News & ArtsWednesday, July 1, 2009
Homo / News "That's Offensive"
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 10:13 AM
The police chief in Fort Worth is still insisting that he's "happy with the restraint used" when his officers raided the Rainbow Lounge.
The "restraint" that delighted Forth Worth's chief of police put one man, Chad Gibson, in the hospital with a life-threatening brain injury. Chad Gibson's sister describes the consequences of the "restrained" police response to the Dallas Voice:
Kristy said the most recent CAT scans have shown that the blood clot on Chad’s brain has stopped growing, which is good news, but he is not out of the woods yet. She said doctors told the family that as long as the clot remains—whether it is growing or not—there is the chance that all or some of it could break loose and cause severe damage or death, or that the bleeding could start up again. At this point, Kristy said, doctors are not talking about having to do surgery to repair the bleed or remove the clot. They believe that the clot will eventually dissolve and be reabsorbed into the body, but that could take anywhere from six months to two years. Chad will likely be hospitalized at least for the rest of this week, and will then have to have follow-up appointments and consultations with a neurosurgeon.
Wow—fags with serious brain injuries make Fort Worth's chief of police happy?
There's a vigil planned for Chad Gibson tonight and a rapidly growing Facebook page where you can follow developments. And there may be a silver lining in all of this: Fort Worth's chief of police has stated publicly that deadly force is an appropriate response to unwelcome sexual advances. Women of Fort Worth take note.
1
Can anyone possibly believe that police officers were groped upon entering a gay bar? In Fort Worth Texas? How gullible is middle america?
2
@1: Very.
This story makes me so sad and angry. Is there anyone who would become an officer without having some kind of inferiority complex that needed to be sated with a badge and a gun? Why aren't police taught to use the least amount of force necessary in any situation? I hate everything about this.
This story makes me so sad and angry. Is there anyone who would become an officer without having some kind of inferiority complex that needed to be sated with a badge and a gun? Why aren't police taught to use the least amount of force necessary in any situation? I hate everything about this.
3
Actually, I have very little doubt that fags with blood clots make him happy. That's pretty much the mentality you're dealing with down there.
4
"He tried to grope me" is the oldest excuse in the book. It requires no standard of proof to substantiate and is every phobe's greatest fear.
5
He wasn't even present, the investigation hasn't concluded and he is already saying he is proud of the "restraint" that left a man fighting for his life? He considers bashing a guys skull in a proper response to an alleged crotch grab? And if that did happen, why was he not charged with assault? And if it was just TABC why does every eye witness say there were more than two people involved when there were only two TABC officers present at the raid. Oh, also there is that pesky photo showing him being detained by two TABC officers and two FW officers, one of the FW officers wearing bloody rubber gloves, the other appearing to be holding his arms behind his back.
Oh, and since there was a 10 minute gap between his arrest and when the ambulance was called when the FW police chief said that he victim injured himself outside, why was a FW police officer wearing bloody gloves inside the club restraining him? And lets ignore all those inconsistencies, if it happened outside within 10 minutes of his arrest, why was TABC detaining him outside instead of conducting/leading/supervising the investigation inside the club? After all, they are they authorities that were conducting the operation with the assistance of FW PD, so why were they detaining people outside instead of, you know, investigating?
Where is the outrage on a national level for this? Not one statement the FWPD has made has made sense, been directly contradicted by the evidence and eye witnesses and photos or not been offensive and a man almost died over it.
It's time for the federal authorities to step in because it is clear by their statements and actions that the FWPD is not handling this properly and I don't think anyone can expect a fair or just investigation into their own actions being conducted by the FWPD.
Oh, and why isn't this all over the national news at this point, if you aren't outraged by this you don't know the details.
More...
Oh, and since there was a 10 minute gap between his arrest and when the ambulance was called when the FW police chief said that he victim injured himself outside, why was a FW police officer wearing bloody gloves inside the club restraining him? And lets ignore all those inconsistencies, if it happened outside within 10 minutes of his arrest, why was TABC detaining him outside instead of conducting/leading/supervising the investigation inside the club? After all, they are they authorities that were conducting the operation with the assistance of FW PD, so why were they detaining people outside instead of, you know, investigating?
Where is the outrage on a national level for this? Not one statement the FWPD has made has made sense, been directly contradicted by the evidence and eye witnesses and photos or not been offensive and a man almost died over it.
It's time for the federal authorities to step in because it is clear by their statements and actions that the FWPD is not handling this properly and I don't think anyone can expect a fair or just investigation into their own actions being conducted by the FWPD.
Oh, and why isn't this all over the national news at this point, if you aren't outraged by this you don't know the details.
7
Another Good Contact is the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. They care about money and tourism.
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
777 Taylor Street
Suite 900
Fort Worth, TX 76102-4997
The President and CEO is:
Bill Thornton
817.336.2491 ext 234
I've asked them to support Councilman Joel Burns' call for an investigation into the police raid at Rainbow Lounge.
You can also send messages to all the members of the Chamber through their website:
http://www.fortworthchamber.com/chamber_…
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
777 Taylor Street
Suite 900
Fort Worth, TX 76102-4997
The President and CEO is:
Bill Thornton
817.336.2491 ext 234
I've asked them to support Councilman Joel Burns' call for an investigation into the police raid at Rainbow Lounge.
You can also send messages to all the members of the Chamber through their website:
http://www.fortworthchamber.com/chamber_…
8
Where is Dallas? They're just 30 minutes east, and they have one of the largest metro gay communities in the U.S., no?
10
"Women of Fort Worth take note." I think you misunderstand. The police can kill anyone they want. There are different rules for civilians.
12
kresblamania - I agree, but I think it'll be fun to watch Halstead squirm next time an abused woman lashes out.
14
Just got off the phone with Bill Thornton, the President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce who expressed confidence that the Mayor and Chief Halstead will require a complete and thorough investigation that will be completed in a "timely" fashion.
When I asked whether he felt that the investigation will satisfy the gay community's need for fairness in this matter (I had to ask twice) he replied:
"Yes."
What do you think sloggers?
When I asked whether he felt that the investigation will satisfy the gay community's need for fairness in this matter (I had to ask twice) he replied:
"Yes."
What do you think sloggers?
16
"Fort Worth's chief of police has stated publicly that deadly force is an appropriate response to unwelcome sexual advances. Women of Fort Worth take note."
Makes me want to run down there with some suggestive clothing! And a gun, of course.
Makes me want to run down there with some suggestive clothing! And a gun, of course.
17
You know what, even if I believed that the officers had been groped (which I do not think for one second is true, but as a thought experiment) - giving someone a brain injury still isn't an appropriate response. I have been groped before in, dare I say it, situations where I felt quite vulnerable, and yet I have managed not to commit assault! Of course I'm sure this guy thinks that women just have to deal with being groped by drunk assholes, but groping men? Homg! Harassment! Straight women have to deal with this shit every day yet we kill very few people for it.
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