The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) will conduct an internal invesigation of last weekend’s raid on the Rainbow Lounge, a gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas. While authorities claim these types of raids are common, there has been much uproar over the timing of the raid – on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall raids in New York – an over witness reports on the behavior of officers.
Four males and a female were arrested for public intoxication during the Rainbow Lounge raid and patron Chad Gibson was injured while in officer’s custody. His head injury was so severe that he is still in critical condition.
“We are saddened that this incident occurred and extend our sincere hope that Mr. Gibson recovers quickly,” said TABC Administrator Alan Steen. “I have initiated an internal affairs investigation to answer questions about how these locations were chosen, to review the agents’ actions, and specifically to establish the facts surrounding Mr. Gibson's injury.”
Since the raid, a number of witnesses have gone on record saying that the officers were inappropriately violent and disrespectful.
“I take seriously all allegations concerning inappropriate or illegal behavior by our employees. We have in the past, and we will in the future, take action against any employee found to have violated agency policy or the law,” said Steen.
In the meantime, the raid is getting attention from Texas politicians. State Senator Wendy Davis and State Representative Lon Burnam have issued a joint statement, which said they “are deeply concerned about eye witness accounts of the events that occurred that morning and intend to activate all possible investigatory methods to learn the truth about those events.”
The statement describes a meeting between Davis, Burnam and TABC representatives where Davis and Burnam “made a very detailed request for information,” including information about “TABC agents’ compliance or non-compliance with procedures and policies of TABC as those are expressed in the TABC Enforcement Division Policy, Procedures & Forms manual.”
“It is our hope that through a thorough investigation and analysis of the events that occurred at the Rainbow Lounge, particularly in the early morning hours of June 28, our community and those outside our community who have raised concerns, will be able to get the answers they need to their valid questions. Most importantly, Chad Gibson and his family, for whom we are deeply concerned, deserve answers,” according to the statement.
They also submitted a request for an objective, outside investigation.
