There's been some action by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in the aftermath of the raid on the Rainbow Lounge on the anniversary of Stonewall: the two agents involved have been fired and their supervisor, who was taking early retirement, will be terminated next week.
And here's an editorial that focuses attention on the police department's reaction.
But Halstead still must deliver the results of an ongoing internal affairs investigation into whether any of the officers used excessive force, conducted themselves unprofessionally, neglected their duty or were not properly supervised in the Rainbow Lounge raid.
They took seven people out of the bar that morning, two of them forcefully. They let one go and charged the others with public intoxication. Chad Gibson also was charged with assault by contact. He was sent to the hospital after injuring his head in a fall outside the bar, Halstead’s report says.
Two months later, Halstead says there still are conflicting accounts about the officers’ actions. He adds that a final report on the investigation may be ready for the council by October.
That’s a stretch. It could lead one to believe that the city is intentionally delaying the report for fear of a lawsuit. Or maybe Fort Worth police just have trouble investigating their own. Either would be another black eye.
Halstead must meet his own deadline and deliver the report of the internal investigation by October. Sooner would be better.
For those who insist that we have to wait for public opinion to support us, take this as an object lesson: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I would bet that without the immediate and negative reaction of the gay blogosphere and the Fort Worth gay community, which focused national attention on this incident, we'd be faced with another cover-up. Any takers?
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