ABOVE: A raid at Loverbar, screenshot via Twitter.
Activists in Puerto Rico have condemned a police raid on an LGBTQ-friendly bar that took place July 22.
Local media reports indicate more than 20 officers with the San Juan Municipal Police Department entered Loverbar, which is near the campus of the University of Puerto Rico, at around 11 p.m.
A video posted to social media shows that some of the officers who entered the bar were armed with what appear to be shot guns.
Video de La Police entrando.
¿Cuál es la necesidad? Cualquiera juraría que esto es un raid a un punto pic.twitter.com/MkFVHfVFsE— ✨ A d o n i s ✨ (@MrWolfheart) July 23, 2021
Media reports cite local authorities who said Loverbar did not have the necessary permits to operate as a bar, and the officers arrived there to fine them. San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero in a statement said officers fined Loverbar and seven other businesses in the city for either not having the necessary permits or excessive noise.
Comparto mis expresiones sobre la intervención de anoche de la Policía Municipal de San Juan y la Oficina de Permisos en negocio de Río Piedras. pic.twitter.com/PxKMVNuR68
— Miguel Romero (@Miguel_Romero_) July 23, 2021
“The Municipal Police of San Juan led by Miguel Romero intervened last night with a queer bar,” tweeted Pedro Julio Serrano, founder of Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, a Puerto Rican LGBTQ advocacy group. “This reminds us of a time when LGBTQI+ people were prosecuted, criminalized and villified.”
“We won’t tolerate homophobia and transphobia in San Juan,” added Serrano.
The Municipal Police of San Juan led by @Miguel_Romero_ intervened last night with a queer bar.
This reminds us of a time when LGBTQI+ people were persecuted, criminalized and vilified.
We won’t tolerate homophobia and transphobia in San Juan. pic.twitter.com/MkcE2t2Nup
— Pedro Julio Serrano (@PedroJulio) July 23, 2021
Comité Amplio Para la Búsqueda de Equidad (CABE), another Puerto Rican LGBTQ advocacy group, has called for an “exhaustive and independent investigation into the excessive use of force and intimidation by the Municipal Police of San Juan last night” at Loverbar.
