I just got back from the Fort Worth Police Department’s East Fort Worth Community Forum. Although this was an already-scheduled event to allow East Fort Worth residents to speak with Chief Jeffrey Halstead and other officers, a number of people showed up to question the chief about the raid Sunday morning at the Rainbow Lounge.
It was a two-hour meeting, and there was a lot going on. I am just going to recap a couple of the highlights here.
First: after the meeting had started, Chief Halstead announced that the director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission had just issued a statement acknowledging that Chad Gibson, who has been hospitalized with a head injury since the incident, was injured while in the custody of TABC agents.
Chief Halstead said that determining who was responsible for Gibson’s injury has been the priority of his department’s investigation so far.
Now that that is settled, the chief said, the focus for his department will turn to getting as much information as possible regarding the actions of FWPD officers during the incident.
To that end, he is asking that anyone and everyone who was at the bar that night and was an eyewitness to the events contact Capt. Garcia at 817-392-4270 to give their account. He said it is vital to a thorough investigation to get as much information as possible from those who were there.
Chief Halstead, who only recently came from Phoenix to take the top spot in the FWPD, also said he wants to meet with LGBT community leaders, that he intends to appoint a liaison to the city’s LGBT community and that he wants to institute sensitivity training.
So now, on a personal note: I understand people in our community are angry and frustrated. We want answers, and we want them now.
But folks, we also have to understand that if we really want THE TRUTH, then we need to give Chief Halstead and his command staff the opportunity to conduct a complete and thorough investigation, and those who were there need to cooperate with that investigation.
Chief Halstead said tonight he knows the LGBT community wants to know the truth, and that he DEMANDS to know the truth. If, when all is said and done, he hasn’t lived up to his promises, then we take it from there. But we have to at least give him time to do what he has said he will do.
36 Comments
Very well said… I agree.
THANK GOD!!! My roommate and I (who were there that night) are thrilled that the authorities are finally taking responsibility for the injuries of Chad Gibson. The police statement that he hit his head from falling down drunk was so insulting to the eyewitnesses that it made us sick. Thank you for posting this so quickly.
Thanks Tammye. You have really done an excellent job getting information out.
What timeframe are we talking about? Two months? Six? A lot will depend on how GLBT citizens are treated in the coming months.
I think it would be good to do a series of stories on the suburban areas and how they’re coming on GLBT rights. I know Carrollton has a way to go. DGLA and other Dallas (city) based groups have done well but the same success could be exported or supported in the suburban areas.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK!
So did Chief Halstead just admit to lying when he said earlier that Mr. Gibson was likely injured when he slipped and fell. Did a FW PD officer file a police report stating that Mr. Gibson ‘slipped and fell’ on his own, thereby causing his injuries? And when will this officer be fired for cause and lose his pension?
And now he wants to pawn this whole thing off on the TABC. Sure, lets investigate them too. But this sounds like a man who has done nothing but try to lie, blameshift and avoid responsibility.
So does he now assert that FW PD had no role in this? What about his earlier statements calling Mr. Gibson a ‘crotch grabber’? How about that being a lie too?
You’ve been had if you think this was anything more than someone looking to blameshift, avoid responsibility, and play CYA. .
Sure cooperate with the investigation. But given Chief Halstead’s insults, misstatements, and apparent lies, I wouldn’t count on anything but a whitewash.
Acknowledging that the injuries occurred while Chad was in their custody is a step in the right direction. I hope Chad recovers completely and quickly, and I hope they get to the bottom of this mess.
Tammye,
Great update. Thank you!!!
It sounds as if since this was a TABC initiated “inspection” that the comment that Chad was injured while in the custody of the TABC. If that is a correct understanding, then merely TABC is stepping forward and saying that they were the lead, not FW PD.
Further, it sounds as if Chief Halstead is also saying that FW PD is investigating the actions of his officers for their conduct as peace officers, while assisting the TABC.
*To me* it does not appear that Chief Halstead is reliquishing his department’s responsibility for what occured. TABC was lead and FW PD was present. Really sounds like clarifying, which is good. His response is better voiced in your communication this evening than did the press release. But the press release sounded too as if it were a statement of “this is what I know at this present time by reports” — which truly didn’t come out as helping the situation.
Again Tammye, thank you for everything you’re doing to keep us posted and everything you’re doing. Bless you.
I totally agree Tom. FWPD has pretty much washed their hands of this investigation and sold out TABC. If they are so innocent, then why didn’t they try to step in when they noticed that Chad had been injured by the TABC officers? Because they were busy rounding up peeps themselves. I still smell bullshit but we can’t call it bullshit if no one corroborates the stories of the witnesses. All we have now is sketchy police reports. Well that’s another issue, the fact that they’ve received hundreds of calls but the only have 2 witness accounts on record. This is gonna be a long process but we must remain diligent until we can get at least 80 percent of the truth b/c we’re definitely not gonna get the whole truth.
Thanks for posting, Tammye. I was also at the police forum and while I agree that an internal investigation is an important step necessary for the department itself to review the actions of its officers, I can not overstate the importance of having an investigation conducted by an independent party. Allowing the perpetrators to be the investigators lends no legitimacy to the findings.
Moreover, I am not encouraged by the chief’s stated position that the statements of the officers involved, though directly contradicting eyewitness accounts, are facts in the eyes of the law which will hold as truth up to the Supreme Court of the United States. It is our word against theirs, and this is not justice. His eagerness to shrug off responsibility through the excuse of homosexual flirtation shows a disregard for impartiality and a tendency toward homophobia.
Again, I would like to say that I believe positive things are happening as a result of this horrible incident such as a new LGBT community liaison within the force. However, I disagree that we must be patient. We must not stop the pressure until we know the truth.
Sensitivity training? For Chief Halstead, sure. He would clearly benefit. But the leader of the raid, if not all the officers involved, need to lose their jobs. The problems those men have won’t get fixed by attending some two-hour seminar.
Even if the “slipped and fell” story is true–and clearly, it isn’t–doesn’t that constitute sufficient negligence on the part of the arresting officer to justify his dismissal?
Chief Halstead must think this is all about to blow over. It isn’t; it’s about to blow up.
I commend Chief Halstead for investigating the role that FWPD had in this incident. Is there any similar investigation started at TABC? Let’s get one rolling. Call your state legislator.
It may also be helpful to point out that Chief Halstead had early in the discussion said that only 2 people had come forward with their stories in response to his request for eyewitness accounts. When an audience member who had been at the bar later stood up and told the forum that he had called and emailed trying to give his story with no response. Halstead then said he had received hundreds (over 500, he said) calls and emails and that they were not able to respond to them all yet.
Again, forgive me for not trusting this investigation.
I also want to touch base on the notion that only TABC officers were responsible for the injury of Chad Gibson. Media and independent reports, including a damning photo circulating the internet all indicate that there were 3 officers who had forcibly detained Gibson. Only 2 TABC officers were present. My math skills, though rudimentary, prove that FWPD does not have clean hands in the matter.
The FW police chief is LYING, his officers are involved, you can see a police officer in blue nealing down between the two TABC officers in the picture of the hallway where CHAD GIBSON is being assulted. The video is on cbs11tv.com
Great reporting Tammye – thank you for the updates.
I concur and strongly encourage anyone and everyone who was present to contact the Fort Worth Police Dept. with their eyewitness accounts of the incident. We need to afford the Police Department some time to due an investigation based on the facts and then see what kind of follow-up is taken with regard to disciplinary actions and/or terminations. The community should step back and take a collective deep breath, but at the end of the day, we demand justice, and will not stand by quietly while civil servants (whether the FWPD or the TABC) put members of our community in the hospital for no apparent reason.
I was also at this meeting as was a straight ally who recorded some of the statements on his IPhone. https://tinyurl.com/lh3xqb
Please do call the FWPD if you have any information. Make a statement. If you want a lawyer with you get one and take one. It is imperative that we take this forward.
I wondered why the room wasn’t filled with Fort Worth GLTBQ people. There were some there but not near as many as I figured would be. I drove in from Irving in support, and I noted a good group of Dallas people. If we want to be heard on this issue numbers is important.
I looked on the TABC website for a press release and there was not one. I wrote and email and received the following email back.
The Chief of Police read an excerpt from a draft of a press release that should be finalized and distributed tomorrow, and posted on our website. I will add your e-mail address to our distribution list, and make sure you receive a copy as soon as it is released.
Carolyn Beck
Public Information Officer
Let’s move this forward guys. Lets keep talking. Lets see if we can’t move the gay community forward.
Would like to provide some clarifications and corrections. I, too, was at the meeting last night. First, TABC did not take responsibility for causing injuries while Chad was in their custody. They merely stated that he was in their custody. His injuries were self-sustained when he fell to the ground, after ignoring repeated (and documented) requests from both TABC and Fort Worth officers to sit down so he wouldn’t fall down because he was so drunk that he was suffering from alcohol poisoning. Second, Chief Halstead was not authorized to read that release when he did so, as it was not finalized and ready to be publicized. Third, the photo of the cops on the ground subduing a bar patron was not Chad Gibson; that has already been cleared up elsewhere. It was merely another drunk who had to be subdued for resisting arrest. Fourth, in regards to the hundreds of calls but only two reports, you misunderstood the Chief – go back and listen to the recording again. Those hundreds of calls were not from eyewitnesses, but instead were from people demanding investigations. Only 2 reports were taken because only two people called themselves eyewitnesses. Statements cannot be taken from those who were not there, because they would not stand up in court – hearsay. Finally, someone slipping and falling while in police custody doesn’t meet the standards of negligence. First, police custody and police control are not the same thing. Second, he didn’t slip and fall…he completely wiped out because he was too drunk to continue standing. Third, he was repeatedly advised to sit down. I’ll bet if the cops had forced him to sit down, you’d now be crying assault. Ya’ll need to take a deep breath. There’s a reason there are only 2 statements. There’s a reason there was DEAD and EMBARRASSING silence in the room when the Chief asked if anyone witnessed police beating patrons. There’s a REASON that the only pictures from the bar show routine police work and not gay bashing. It. Didn’t. Happen. I know that the gay rights movement has struggled to get momentum. I get it, and you have my sympathy. But fictionalizing an event to use it as a rallying cry is amoral and unacceptable.
It is good that one of the groups it taking responsibility, however it still does not make this situation any better and it WILL eventually happen again if not in DFW, somewhere. Sensitivity training is helpful, but for some people may not be answer. You can educate someone, but will they use that education? Will this “sensitivity training” remove their negative opinions of a minority who is not out to harm anyone? What happened in Fort Worth at the Rainbow Lounge is something the LGBT community, along with LGBT allies, should NOT forget! We should stand up against a majority who wants to pin us to the ground just like the FWPD and TABC did to patrons the other night!
Who is Pro Police anyway? Was he there? doubt it! So why does he know so much? Hello…He DOESN’T! LOL what a D-bag!
This has to be investigated at the highest levels, why did the chief say
Halstead: “You’re touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that’s offensive. I’m happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that.”
And then he said the guy fell down, this chief is a complete liar, DFW stand up and do not let these thugs get away with this,
pro police is a “d-bag” with an agenda. he has been commenting on just about every single online article covering the raid. he wasn’t at the rainbow lounge, he didn’t witness any of it, and he believes everything the tabc and fwpd say. just an fyi, pro police…multiple eye witnesses, including myself and my sister, have attempted to call in to give our statements. no one is answering the phone. i just received an alternate number that i’m about to try…817.392.4280
Dear Tammy,
You are doing a great job! I am the gentlemen that ask you on Sunday about the porch pic.
I have some question that I can’t after 3 days get a responce to and I thought you could get an answer faster then me, due to you being in the media?
1) FWPD Chief wants us to take a deep breath my question is are these offices involved still getting there tax payor salary during this investigation?
2) Has the Mayor made any statement as of yet?
3) Rep Wend Davis & Lon Burham had a meeting with TABC yesterday has either made an comment?
4) Since TABC is under Gov. Rick Perry has he said any thing yet?
5) Are the TABC officers still work with there tax payor salary?
Again, I have tried to contact the offices of above referenced but haven’t gotten any responce back yet. If you can answer any of them would be helpful. Then maybe I will take a deep breath.
Keep up the good reporting and again thanks for your attention on this matter.
Kevin
Encouraging information from Chief Halstead’s bio.
“Chief Halstead has a unique understanding of the need for police officers to conduct themselves with a courteous and professional demeanor toward citizens. When he was 19 and a civilian, majoring in criminal justice, he was beaten by a South Florida cop working an off-duty job. It almost turned him against a career in law enforcement, but he came back to it with a new conviction to use his own life to make a difference in the field of public service and policing.”
The man understands first hand about police brutality. I totally agree with Tammye…we need to give this guy a chance before passing judgement.
Chief Halstead needs to resign.
From 1800 miles away, I can only offer my encouragement. I would only say Texas cops are no different from any other cops. Inflated sense of importance and totally out to play CYA.
When dealing with cops, always always have a camera rolling. As you are learning here, they are not to be trusted.
Whatever! Being a victim of police brutality does not give him a better understanding of the plight of other people. Many other minority groups have been victims of police brutality but feel no sympathy when it comes to the gay community. Nope still not off the hook.
A few comments. Everyone ignore Pro-police. He is a stooge and automatically believes everything the police says. Regardless of the facts.
Still waiting for the comments from Chief Halstead about the origin of his earlier remarks about Mr. Gibson (aka the crotch grabber per the FW PD…why not just say F..got, pretty much the same meaning) slipping and falling. Did someone file a false police report in order to cover up a possible felony assault?
Has anybody got to talk to Chris??? I would like to know his side of the story and see who threw him down on the ground then we would know for sure who to go after.. If he is able to remember after his head injury..was just wondering about his side
to Pro-Police – Most, if not all of the individuals in this forum or elsewhere are “Pro-Police”, but it seems that you’re the only Pro-Police D-Bag around. Why? Because you clearly weren’t there, but seem to think you’ve got the facts when even the police and TABC don’t seem to have the facts. Nice piece of fictional D-baggery writing.
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.
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’.
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
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!!!!!
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.
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!
Dear Firedude,
Funny you should mention a mob. Here’s what Thomas Jefferson had to say.“A 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.
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.
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!