Comments on: Owner of Dallas Eagle meeting with TABC representatives as we speak

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:45:16 +0000

@ TB
I was there Friday and Police State is correct, there was NO anouncement that the TABC was “in the parking lot” or “had arrived” or anything to that nature. There was an anouncement the liquor service was resuming, but it did not mention the TABC or say why it had stopped in the first place.

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:01:48 +0000

No Raid. No Stonewall2009.

By: Carl Smith

Carl Smith — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:41:54 +0000

Well, it’s all cleared up no. TABC and Dallas Police did nothing wrong. Dallas Eagle has accepted all responsibility. Let’s move on.

By: smokebeartx

smokebeartx — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:19:10 +0000

After reading the additional comments and the recently posted article, I stand by my early post.

TABC is well aware of the scrutiny it has been receiving after the Rainbow Lounge incident. If TABC wanted simply to “enforce the law” against operating without a license, and more importantly keep it low key so as not to set off the very sort of thing we see in these comments and in the community, there were ways to do that. You think they’re operating without a license, you’d go in the afternoon, sometime early, or just talk to the owners and get it straightened out. Instead they went in late on a Friday in a packed club on grand opening night accompanied by masked police officers. And we’re not going to react adversely to that given the current climate?

TABC could have avoided all of these questions if they wanted to. I guess I just don’t believe in coincidences when it comes to gays and the State of Texas. Maybe I’ve lived here too long and seen too much, so I’m a cynic.

By: Bob Alew

Bob Alew — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:45:02 +0000

Police State: Yes I think it’s a very unbalanced comparison, and I think you’ve lost all sense of proportion. The owners didn’t correctly file for their permit to sell alcohol. The TABC held them to the same standards they hold for every other club in Texas… and you compare it to the gas chambers of Nazi Germany???? Your melodramatic histrionics are insulting, and I worry that your righteous indignation about this minor licensing issue will obscure real issues that face our community.

By: Police State

Police State — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:18:49 +0000

To TB (or is this Brian again LOL) – I was there on Friday night for the first liquor serving suspension. There was no announcement about liquor service being stopped. the bartenders just stopped serving while the owners sorted out whatever was wrong… Just to clarify, the announcement was … Bartenders begin liquor service again… there was no mention of TABC leaving in the loud speaker announcement…

I left before the bar closure happened so I cannot comment on the other events…

And does it really matter who was wearing the masks… do you think the Jews living in Nazi Germany had a discussion about whether their captors and guards were SS officials or merely a prison guard? They still died in the gas chambers just the same…

Think this is an unbalanced comparison? Read the history of Berlin pre- WWII…

Carl, thank you for your comment… We are all in this together…

By: Carl Smith

Carl Smith — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:59:31 +0000

In a conversation I had with TABC today, I was told by the agent that he had a call today from someone who left a message on his recorder saying “Ya’ll need to leave the Eagle alone and go check out those bars on Cedar Springs.” Great. Let’s give all the gay bars hell because your favorite watering hole got busted because they screwed up. Come on people, let’s use some common sense and decency. We’re all in the same boat.

By: TB

TB — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:58:17 +0000

I was there and I am Gay and want to clarify what all these ignorant patrons/people are saying about the TABC “Raid” incident at the Eagle on Friday night. Yes, TABC and Dallas Police entered the bar and conducted an investigation, not a “RAID”, reference the bar not transferring their alcohol permit to the new location in time for their Grand opening weekend. This is illegal and it is the Dallas Eagle owner’s fault for not getting the permit changed in time for the Grand Opening weekend! It is NOT TABCs fault for doing their job nor are they targeting gay bars in the DFW area like everyone wants to believe! TABC and Dallas Police on a weekly basis address these types of issues with Black, Korean, Indian, Hispanic, etc. bars and their protocol is the same with all of them. I know this because I work in the alcohol industry and have found TABC to be firm but fair and always professional. Even the Dallas Eagle staff has said that TABC and Dallas Police were very professional that night and were not rude and mean in any way to them or the patrons!

Furthermore, if everyone had opened up their eyes that night they would have seen that the TABC “Ninjas” in the masks were all wearing Dallas Police Windbreakers and were not TABC Agents!

And for you ignorant and/or stupid people, undercover police officers wear these masks to conceal their identity so that they can remain in an undercover capacity for future operations. And yes, there were probably undercover officers in the Dallas Eagle that night who made purchases of alcohol while the bar was unlicensed to sell alcohol at that location and that is why TABC and Dallas Police were there that night! It had nothing to do with an undercover minor being served in the bar or picking on the poor DFW gays. The owners, managers and bartenders all knew they were not licensed and should not have broken the law! And if you were there on Friday night, you probably heard the announcement that TABC was in the parking lot and alcohol sales would be stopped and about 30 minutes later another announcement was made by staff stated that alcohol sales would resume because TABC was gone…so it is obvious that the Dallas Eagle knew they shouldn’t be selling alcohol!! So, before you speak any shit about this incident and try comparing it to the Rainbow Lounge incident know what the hell you’re talking about people!!!

By: Marlin Bynum

Marlin Bynum — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:56:56 +0000

I just received this email from the TABC.

Hi Marlin,
I’m working on some bullet points right now for the media that I’ll also send to you.

No, our agents were not wearing masks. That was the Dallas PD, apparently something they do to hide the identity of undercover officers. We don’t have masks.
Carolyn

Just thought I would send it along. Interesting. Now the DPD is wearing the masks. I understand the undercover status, but still disagree, that they should be able to do so. I am sure that the conservative courts would disagree, but our Constitution Rights say that we can face our accuser. Doesn’t sound like that is available here.

Also as I noted earlier, I had read in the Fort Worth Star Telegram that the TABC had stopped using undercover youth, because of a sexual incident with one of their officers and one of the undercover youth.

By: smokebeartx

smokebeartx — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:46:06 +0000

Good stuff, Chaser Blog. Haven’t seen any other pictures of this incident. And thanks Tammye for keeping an eye on this situation.

I don’t believe this was a coincidence or just a normal check. TABC has to know it is under high scrutiny after the Rainbow Lounge incident. So they go out and raid another gay bar on its grand opening night, knowing that incident will also receive coverage. Whatever The Eagle did or did not do, the State is sending us a message, and not a friendly one.