Comments on: TABC announcement and a request from Chief Halstead

By: FIREMAN

FIREMAN — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:55:44 +0000

Garrett,
I do have a step brother who is openly Gay and happens to live in Fort Worth. I dont want to shift anything and dont see where I did in my last blog. I just simply get tired of PEOPLE wheather homosexual, Jewish, or what ever life style or religous belifes they may have wanting to go “headhunting” when things dont go their way in life. I am NOT saying you specifically are doing this….BUT lets admit there are those that are doing this. I just ask that you allow the investigation to run its course and if any wrong was commited than hopefully it will come out in the end, wheather it was on behalf of law enforcment or the bar patrons. Now as far as people who live the life of homosexuality, I have friends that are openly homosexualy and they know my stand point. I dont preach to them or talk bad about the choices they make in life. We all make choices, We all have free will. Although there is another conversation at hand here as far as being born gay or hetrosexual whitch this is not the place or time for that! I think that I have been clear on my stand point, I have known many homesexuals in the past, one whitch was a good person and I have gone fishing many times. When she had questions and needed someone to talk to she would come to my house and visit with me for countless hours, so to assume that I dont know what I am talking about is just merely that an unfounded assumption. Yes I am a white male but what bearing is there in the topic at hand? Please understand that I do know that you feel that you were being picked on by lawenforcment, as did I at one time when I went through a rough time in my life that involved the loss of a my best friend. I have not always been a minister and a fireman. The things I have stated took years of experiance for me to learn the things I have learned and always try to remain open minded about everything, Once again I think you for everything you have done for me and my country as a soldier and the sacrifice’s you have paid, I cant phatom what it is like to have the life of an AMERICAN SOLDIER! That is a very honurable potion to hold!

By: Garrett

Garrett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:11:20 +0000

I love it when Fireman tries to subtly shift the argument instead of addressing my points. I find it completely believable that a brave fireman would save my life, regardless of sexual orientation. I believe that they put their lives on the line. I don’t dispute it. My dispute is that the other bars that were raided did not put a man into ICU with life threatening injuries and the misuse of force in the gay bar maybe a direct result of the FWPD’s. We must have a thorough and honest investigation. Any wrong doing by the officers must be brought into the light. I was so dismayed by your statement is you seem to justify the police brutality by linking it to drunk driving deaths and then justify your point of view saying you’ve had to deliver such devastating news. Are you sure you’re not a lawyer or are ministers trained in the art of misdirection as well? Ask yourself this: Do you know any gay people who have been harassed or beaten or even killed for being gay? Do you know what it’s like to be singled out by police and perceived as some kind of ‘pervert’ when you’ve done nothing wrong? Do you understand that the laws in our country are to protect its people, not enforce the bible?
As for Passion of the Christ, wasn’t Jesus a jew and weren’t the Jew’s prosecuted and killed just for being Jews? That movie makes my point even better. But since I’ve watched your movie, do you have the guts to watch my recommendation? (MILK) Overall, I hope I’m wrong about FWPD sanctioning gay bashing. Maybe this will be all settled and it was truly not intentional police brutality (though I doubt Chad Gibson would agree from his hospital bed) and maybe, just maybe, the injuries caused were truly an accident, but if not, it is our job as a gay community to demand justice, to instigate change, to make tomorrow better than yesterday.
It is not a witch hunt. It is the search for truth and justice.
Good luck Fireman. I hope you have brothers and sisters or sons and daughters who turn out to be gay. It won’t change who they are and I’m sure you’ll love them the same, but maybe then you will put a face on the people you don’t know or the struggle you don’t want to understand.

By: DJ Anderson

DJ Anderson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:48:43 +0000

Dear Firedude,
Funny you should mention a mob. Here’s what Thomas Jefferson had to say.â€œA democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.”
When police and elected officials refuse to protect us, or indeed take steps to harm us, what recourse do we have to seek justice? We certainly can’t go to the police to tell them what happened. We queers have found our way to operate, through non-violent action. Privileged as you are, being a heterosexual (I’m guessing white) male, I can understand why you would have difficulty understanding this. It’s not all your fault – you were born that way.
Yes, two other bars were raided that night, but no violence was reported there. Whether or not we were singled out or not we were singled out because of our orientation is pending investigation. Despite what Jesus may have told you when you talked to him before writing your post, there is doubt in the matter – you shouldn’t be so sure.
Also, please move the proselytizing to another forum. Perhaps to your church. We saw the prejudice, persecution and hate related to the Passion of the Christ when Mel Gibson was pulled over for a DUI. I’m sorry, I just don’t buy the story that a group of Jewish TABC and FWPD officers were looking to start a world war in the Rainbow Lounge.

By: FIREMAN

FIREMAN — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:03:20 +0000

Garret,
Thanks for posting comments. Now lets not be so quick to want turn and verbally bash people. Your doing verbally what you said these honest hard working officers did phisically. Now as an American Soldier I personally thank you for any and all sacrifice you as well as any other soldier has paid. In what ever happens I am sorry that this guy was injured, BUT how can he say he did or didnt do anything after openly admiting the fact he was to drunk to remember anything? In every situation that exsits where there are two stand points there are three sides, Side A, Side B, and the truth. I belive that this is just a modern day Salem Witch hunt! Somebody did something I dont like so lets get a mob together and burn them at the stake! Here is a thought, if the gay citizens belive that there was a wrong commetied then hire a private investigator…..Personally I think people like you would love for people like me to simply just “SHUTUP” as you put it because you cant stand for someone to have open optiztion to your lifestyle. Thats one great thing you have lost site of as a solider, You and all soldiers have defended the right of free speech and democracy. I dont care about your lifestyle! You want a family man to loose his career because of an incident. Let due process happen. If you dont agree with the out come then appeal it…..As far as a “HIGHER STANDARD” I myself am held to a higher standard as a fireman and minister! We do share onething in common, I just as the same as you and the officers involved in this will end our lives in the line of duty to do our jobs to protect life and property, wheather locally or abroad. Now as far as predjuidce, There was an incadent in Dallas at a wreck scene where an officers badge went his head while a fireman in the commision of doing his job was arrested for parking a firetruck in harms way to protect fireman on the scene you didnt hear anything about it I am sure because throu an investigation and video evidence it was dropped. We fireman just simply dont care about a life style we just do the job get it done and go home! There were other bars raided that night and HETROSEXUAL people arrested to, despite popular beliefs of the “gay community” you were NOT singled out because of sexual prefferance. Now as far as the whole world rent the passion of the christ and tell me what YOU think about predjudice, persecution, and extreme hate. Because he died for us all!

By: Garrett

Garrett — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:15:25 +0000

Fireman, you’re argument is comparing apples and oranges and I’m sure you think of gay rights as just another buzz word, but you don’t know the first thing. I’m sure you think you know what your talking about but until you have to accompany law enforcement to tell a family member that their son is dead because a cop or other person bashed them into ICU or to death, then you should shut up. You truly know nothing about what your talking about. The TABC can not say because someone is intoxicated in a bar, that they intend to drive home and endanger lives. I’m glad you automatically jump to this conclusions because you’re a fireman. Well I’m a Soldier and I can tell you that Police, like Soldiers, are held to a higher standard. I wouldn’t expect you to understand since police have not raided a ‘fireman’ bar and treated you or your firemen friends more harshly because of their prejudice towards firemen. When that happens, let me know how you feel. Until then, ‘the price of freedom is eternal vigilance’. We, as a gay community, can not sit in our homes and pretend that police brutality towards gay people has gone away and that the fight for equal rights will just ‘happen’. We must tell our friends and family who we are and what we stand for! The people you love are our greatest allies, they sometimes just don’t know it yet. As for Firemen, go rent the movie ‘Milk’ and let me know what you think then.

By: FIREMAN

FIREMAN — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:26:48 +0000

Listen folks, coming from the stand point of a fireman that has stood for countless hours on the side of higways with victims of wrecks that involve intoxicated HUMANS because I care not what lifestyle you live! What I do care about is when a person homesexual or not is to drunk and stupid to realize they are to drunk to drive and do so any way then I as a chaplain have to go with the local lawenforcment to tell a mother,father, son, or daughter, husband, wife, grandma, grandpa, there loved one is DEAD because of the carelessness of some idiot that was more worried about gay rights than doing the right thing and not getting drunk in the first place, then I openly applaud TABC and Fort Worth Police department for stopping a drunk before it has gotten to that point,so if gay rights is all your worried about then you need to get your head on straight and face reality, Walk a mile in the shoes of a cop or a fireman and see what we have to deal with then worry about gay rights after you have looked someone in the eye and told them their loved one wont be coming home because a drunk person has killed them because they got drunk and drove!!!!!

By: Billy Don

Billy Don — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:08:58 +0000

Pro police, How do you know Chief Halstead was not authorized to read the statement?
You also say “he was so drunk that he was suffering from alcohol poisoning” Can you back that statement up with a medical report? Your either a “wannabe” or your one of the TABC attempting to cover your ass

By: Garrett

Garrett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:49:22 +0000

If they’re unsure of the details of the incident, how were details of “aggressive behavior and crotch grabbing” already released in an effort to defame the gay community and frame the people at the Rainbow Lounge as anything other than the man-hungry fags they must be which MUST have given the police and TABC the right to pummel and hospitalize! I’m amazed that the FWPD lacks even the integrity or moral character as police officers to be honest about what happened instead releasing comments to inflame people AGAINST the gay community. This will be the litmus test for the new chief however I’d be careful to watch for the spin. We need to make sure to send a message to the FWPD that we will not tolerate their brutality. We must demand the heads of the officers involved in this veiled ‘gay bashing’.

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By: Matt Land

Matt Land — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:04:07 +0000

If the TABC is responsible then why aren’t the Texas Rangers involved in this ivestigation, they are the State of Texas investigative unit for state matters. The police chief talks about sensitivity trainging, Fort Worth, Texas is a major city of the D/FW metroplex and sesitivity training should have been policy long before the current chief’s arrival and still needs to be ongoing and updated as policy is followed and changed. If this was a scheduled inspection as the authorities have claimed then what is the protocol for these inspections, management/owners present? Maybe the authorities need to have a group of establishment owners present when these inspections are conducted to insure compliance and fair equal treatment of their patrons. I would bet that they (the authorities) don’t enter straight establishments and treat patrons like this. Is Mr. Gibson’s hospital room being guarded by a police officer? That’s what I would like to know.