Maybe we were wrong …

Forty years later, when reading about the events surrounding the Stonewall riots, we’ve all thought something like, “boy, we’ve come a long way …”  Police don’t raid gay bars for no good reason anymore, do they?  Police don’t beat up gay people without any apparent fear of repercussion, do they?  And the police chief wouldn’t use the gay panic defense to support the actions of his officers, would he?

Apparently so.  Recently, in this season where the world’s gay community is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, that’s exactly what happened in Fort Worth, Texas.  And one man is still in the hospital with brain injuries as a result.

You can read more about it in The Daily Dish from the Atlantic

And be sure to check out columnist and activist Dan Savage’s take on the issue

The good news is that internal affairs has launched an investigation into the raid and the Fort Worth PD has suspended joint operations between Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for the time being.  This article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram details some of the events that have been happening in the wake of the raid.

I guess we still can’t let our guard down.  These cops, based upon the eyewitness accounts, were no less brutal and no less homophobic than their bretherin from 40 years ago.  Sure, this probably wouldn’t have happened today in New York or California, but what about West Virginia?  If the police should happen to come into your bar in a manner such as this, you should stay out of their way, do exactly what they tell you to do, and don’t give them any reason to want to hit you.  On the flip side, get out your phone and take plenty of pictures and videos.  Contact local news organizations and your local political representatives as soon as you safely can.  You may not be able to fight back in the moment, but you can make sure people know that in this day and age, the whole world really is watching.

an update: In light of TABC report, raid at Fort Worth gay bar looks uglier