Equality Texas Calls on Fort Worth Members and Supporters to contact Mayor Moncrief and Fort Worth City Council Members for Immediate Investigation of Rainbow Lounge Raid on Saturday, June 27th.

Late Saturday evening, June 27th, Fort Worth Police Officers and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) officers entered into the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth for an alcoholic beverage code inspection.  What resulted was the arrest of seven (7) patrons, one being critically injured during the raid.

With the raid happening on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, we are reminded that we need to advocate for the equal treatment of all citizens and this case, we call for an immediate and public investigation into the circumstances surrounding this raid, including the apparent large number of police and TABC officers and paddy wagon.  With one patron currently in ICU as a result of injuries sustained during the raid and arrest, the investigation needs to cover the use of excessive force and whether these injuries were the result of excessive force or were incidental to the arrest.

We ask Mayor Moncrief and all Fort Worth City Council Members to request a Public Investigation and to make a public statement.  City Council member Joel Burns, District 9, has already issued a joint statement requesting an investigation. Statement on Equality Texas Blog HERE and next column.    Equality Texas is in contact with Representative Lon Burnam's and Senator Wendy Davis' offices, and they have scheduled meetings with TABC to address these issues as well.

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Equality Texas has called on its North Texas members and supporters to contact Mayor Moncrief and the Fort Worth City Council Members to demand an immediate and public investigation.

We will continue to update our members. Please visit our website and blog at www.equalitytexas.org.

We thank all of the activists and supporters in North Texas that are on the ground making demanding action!  Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Chad Gibson who is in ICU after sustaining injuries in the raid.

Paul E. Scott, Executive Director

Fort Worth City Council Member

Joel Burns - District 9

Statement

I want all citizens of Texas and Fort Worth to know and be assured that the laws and ordinances of our great State and City will be applied fairly, equally and without malice or selective enforcement. I consider this to be part of "The Fort Worth Way" here. As an elected representative of the city of Fort Worth, I  am calling for an immediate and thorough investigation of the actions of the City of Fort Worth Police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in relation to the incident at the Rainbow Lounge earlier this morning, June 28, 2009.

It is unfortunate that this incident occurred in Fort Worth and even more so to have occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall protests.  Unlike 40 years ago, though, the people of this community have elective representation that will make sure our government is accountable and that the rights of all of its citizens are protected.  We are working together with our Mayor, Police Chief, the City of Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, and our State Legislative colleagues to get a complete and accurate accounting of what occurred.

Rest assured that neither the people of Fort Worth, nor the city government of Fort Worth, will tolerate discrimination against any of its citizens. And know that the GLBT Community is an integral part of the economic and cultural life of Fort Worth.

Every Fort Worth citizen deserves to have questions around this incident answered and I am working aggressively toward that end.