Comments on: One last update for the night

By: TJ

TJ — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:44:20 +0000

Broken promise:

I will say no more on this point because it is unnecessary.

And then volumes more were said.

Please stop wasting all this energy on arguing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. It is useless wheel spinning.

People are upset and angry. Let’s BE upset and angry AT THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS and less bitchy among ourselves.
Please, anyone who feels like Miss Overly Defensive, please.
Ya basta, esta suficiente.
We all understand your ^ point!

Let it go.

By: Damien Duckett

Damien Duckett — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:06:42 +0000

There was nothing demeaning about what I said and I certainly do not feel an ounce of shame for a single comment that has been made. I will of course be contacting you via the email address you have provided. I cant stand argueing online either. But when people make comments suggesting something that is untrue and include my name, if i see it, you can bet that I will always respond to ensure the record is set straight. Talk with you later.

By: Daniel Cates

Daniel Cates — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:27:19 +0000

Damien, I am sorry if my statement made you angry but your comments were quite offensive and un called for.I am a Fort Worth Native and a Fort Worth Resident. I am continuing to organize around this event, because I am a citizen of the city in which all of this took place. It is very close to my heart. The way you speak about my city comes across very condescending, the way you spoke about people (including myself) who were there to help instead of stand in the crowd was demeaning. You should be ashamed. I will not further debate you here, as I think arguing over the internet is just slightly stupider than the people who do it. I will be happy to engage you in civil conversation anytime you like, I am in Dallas often and will even meet you on your own turf, if that is okay (we wouldn’t want anyone to step out of bounds) Dippitydoodan@yahoo.com – I hope to hear from you soon.

By: Damien Duckett

Damien Duckett — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:56:02 +0000

Wow Daniel. What a way to fly off the handle. Is this the only level of discourse to be expected of you? I would certainly hope not. You seem at this point to be about as open to others’ points of view as… oh…. say, a rock. Perhaps you too should read completely through all of my previous comments. If you had then I would not have to reiterate, once again, my point. Thank goodness for copy and paste because there is no way I would type it all over again. “The fact remains that Dallas organizations should be acting in a supportive role only unless asked to do more by those leading the charge in Fort Worth.” Instead of bringing down the level of discourse even more than the couple of other people who have commented on here have why not try to engage in a more civilized way with other people working on the same overarching issue you are. Should QL (whom I certainly was not going to bring up by name because I saw no reason to outright name names but instead discuss tactics) have actually been invited to the event then that is understandable….. To an extent! There was still no reason for the Dallas based organization to TAKE OVER the rally from those who were already speaking that had spent all day organizing from right there where it happened. You are quite defensive. in a way that suggests you feel i make this comment in a hostile sense about the rally at the court house. On the contrary, I was there, right at the bottom of the steps and saw very clearly that while others were speaking certain members of that organization walk right up and literally took over the event. What I felt was disappointment. Those of us in the crowd who had come over from the Rainbow Lounge earlier HAD been in the more than capable hands of Chuck Potter (also a resident of Fort Worth) and it was unfortunate to see the confusion on some of the faces of those who had already been on the steps as they tried to figure out who these other individuals were. There in lies my point. That was very clearly stepping on the toes of the people in Fort Worth by an admitedly Dallas Based organization. QL has been only in Dallas up to this point so why would there be any reason for them to have been seen as anything but an organization focused on Dallas?

As for your roll in the Million Gay March……………… Your comment on this only shows further you lack either the understanding of the comments I have made on here or somehow a misunderstanding of the scope and purpose of the Million Gay March its self. I’m not sure which, but if you cant see the difference between an effort by the citizens of a city to express outrage over an event that occured because of officials in their own city and a nation wide effort to bring attention to the inequality of a minority in this country then I’m not sure that i can explain it too you. Your participation in the MGM was fine (as I have even expressed to you in person several times) because you live in this country and the event was planned to bring focus on GLBT issues nation/state wide. People from all over should have attended the rally in Fort Worth, but it should have been Fort Worth people addressing the crowd. The reason this makes sense is very easy to understand. And I made my point clear on that in a previous post….. “What happened yesterday at the court house was a bit like as if the Hon. Angela Hunt went to the rally and stood on the steps talking about Fort Worth.” It would be inappropriate. That is another point that if you cant understand I also can see no simpler way to explain it.

Of course, all of this is really a mute point now with the realization of the TABC’s roll and to what extent the violence that occured was centered around their actions. TABC is a state wide organization so there should be rallies at this point all across the state in every city with a bar to show the outrage that a state agency has acted in such a manner. Especially considering Chad Gibson was injured in their custody. Not that the Fort Worth police gets off the hook yet though. There are too many eye witness reports that indicate bigotry on their part as well to toss out blame without a full on independent investigation in that city.

Once again people. Try and keep the level of discourse to a more respectable level. It’s like beer muscles. Some people on here just type whatever pops into their head and dont even think about actually trying to have a discussion that results in some common ground being reached and our community being moved forward. The strengthening of the relationship between the Dallas and Fort Worth GLBT communities is an important part of that and I have offered up what I see to be the best solution for that.

By: Daniel Cates

Daniel Cates — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:11:24 +0000

I will also note that I served as Co-Chair of the Million Gay March.. an event which just happened in Dallas.. AS A RESIDENT OF FORT WORTH.. perhaps I should have stayed out of the planning?

By: Daniel Cates

Daniel Cates — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:59:39 +0000

Damien, speaking as a member of the organization which “hijacked” the rally, and as a person who spoke at that rally AND AS A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH who lives in the same neighborhood as Rainbow Lounge and frequents the bar and as someone who promoted the rally in Fort Worth tirelessly during the Million Gay March, and as a Fort Worth resident who continues to organize around this issue… please tell me that I and the organization I represent (please note the QL is a North Texas Organization BASED in Dallas) were not welcome there. PLEASE. I really wish you would. I am continuing to organize with QL AS A FORT WORTH RESIDENT.. please know what you are talking about before you make accusations like the ones above. I brought and offered use of the bull horn to the organizers as there was not one present, and I was joined on stage by other members of QL yes, who are not all from Dallas either. I am proud of my city for rallying this way, and for folks coming form all over the place to help out. I encourage others to join the effort:
We (QL) have a candle light vigil being planned for tomorrow night (Wed.) at 8:30 pm at the Rainbow Lounge to honor Chad Gibson, the young man hospitalized by FWPD/ TABC and are hosting our Milk Box in Sundance Square in Downtown Fort Worth (strangely enough the Milk Box was scheduled to be in Sundance Square LONG before any of this bar raid nonsense surfaced) on Sunday July 5th at 7pm at the corner of 3rd and Houston. I hope you too Damien will come out and exercise your freedom of speech on the issue of the Rainbow Lounge Raid.

By: TJ

TJ — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:19:52 +0000

Simply more navel-gazing, in the place of action.
Free country and all that.

Enjoy your opinions and others will enjoy theirs.

There’s always more than one way to solve a problem
No one person, group or city has all the answers to anything… ever in life…, on any topic.

Personally, I’d love to see some hawt homos from Shreveport and their Crewe’s marching in Dallas streets. Why not? God luv ‘em! Get out the boas, boys!

By: Damien Duckett

Damien Duckett — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:12:22 +0000

OMG, Seriously? First……. There has been zero back pedaling on my part. My message is the same now as it was when I left my first comment on this story. And my message will not change. Gary if you would like to mischaracterize my comments some more, go ahead. But I think that the majority of people on here can see very clearly what I have said and can understand my point. Whether they agree or not is up to each of them and I have zero problem with disagreement. As for how you mischaraterized my comments……. “We should all hope that the WHOLE WORLD will join in our geography-transcending quest for real justice and equality. Most of us would have the sense to welcome that with open arms, rather than turning people off with amazingly silly provincial concerns”………. I never once suggested that people from other areas should not participate. On the contrary, Everyone who can possibly make it to events should. The point of my comments was to suggest that while action is needed in a HUGE way, action should be taken by falling in line behind what these people in Fort Worth are already doing. If you disagree with that then that is perfectly fine. That is your right but dont presume to tell me that any further comments on my part are unnecessary. My only interest is in the overall outcome and how it affects our movement. I stepped up to speak to offer a train of thought that I thought, and still think, is best. I do this to start a dialogue on the way forward on this issue that brings Dallas and Fort Worth closer together. It is my humble opinion that by having organizations offer their knowlege and support to the players in Ft Worth instead of going in and planning their own events the liklihood that people will start (eventually) to resent other people will be reduced. How would you feel if organizations from Shreveport (if there are any) suddenly appeared after this happened to us here in Dallas? Just marching down the street screaming about our city and such without even first consulting with an organization here? If this does not seem like the right solution then it is probably better for the few that have commented that dont agree to try and offer up a better solution AND be open to discussing it instead of posting criticism that does not suggest an alternative. I mean I would hope that I have just as much right to an opinion as everyone else. If I have slipped out of america and into some third world country then please let me know but I dont think I have.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Isn’t it a little crazy to get all tangled up with “who should do what?” I mean, people from all over want to help. Welcome that. Invite that. Accept that. And say, “Thank you for taking the time and energy to pitch in.”

But waaaa waaaaa waaaaa “He talked longer than I did” or whatever is something called “needless infighting.” It weakens the progress toward change and it wastes everyone’s energy.

Allies are not the problem. The FW PD and TABC seem to be the problem. Maybe city government too, if the reports are true that every roadblock possible was thrown up to block this bar from opening in the first place. Is the FW PB taking clues from other councilmembers’ comments? Does the city manager have a problem with gays?

These are the things we need to find out and work on. It’s just total BS to say, “Well, let’s argue about who does what when,” rather than accepting help, concern, moral support, etc.

I’m with Gary.

By: Gary Myrick

Gary Myrick — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:17:37 +0000

You’re right, Damien. It is not necessary for you to say anymore, so keep on back-pedaling.
We should all hope that the WHOLE WORLD will join in our geography-transcending quest for real justice and equality. Most of us would have the sense to welcome that with open arms, rather than turning people off with amazingly silly provincial concerns.