I just spoke with Kristy Morgan, the sister of the young man who was hospitalized with a brain injury following the early Sunday morning police raid on the Rainbow Lounge.
Kristy said the most recent CAT scans have shown that the blood clot on Chad’s brain has stopped growing, which is good news, but he is not out of the woods yet. She said doctors told the family that as long as the clot remains — whether it is growing or not — there is the chance that all or some of it could break loose and cause severe damage or death, or that the bleeding could start up again.
At this point, Kristy said, doctors are not talking about having to do surgery to repair the bleed or remove the clot. They believe that the clot will eventually dissolve and be reabsorbed into the body, but that could take anywhere from six months to two years.
Chad will likely be hospitalized at least for the rest of this week, and will then have to have follow-up appointments and consultations with a neurosurgeon.
Kristy also said that Chuck Potter had visited Chad and had talked to him about the possibility of establishing a fund to which people can donate to help pay medical bills. I don’t have details on that yet, but as soon as I can talk to Chuck, I will get that info, since I know a lot of people have been asking what they could do to help.
I also know that Chad’s mom, Karen Carpenter, met today with local filmmaker Robert Camina, who is already working on a documentary about what happened at Rainbow Lounge. Again, more on that as I find out about it.
Tonight, Chuck Potter and Todd Camp will be speaking at the Dallas Voice Freedom of Speech Night, starting at 8 p.m. at Buzz Brews on Lemmon Ave. Chuck and Todd were both at Rainbow Lounge when the raid occurred and were the main organizers of Sunday’s rallies.
Also tonight at 7 p.m., the Fort Worth Police Department will be holding a community forum at the New Beginnings International Church, 2000 East Loop 820.
And tomorrow night, at 8 p.m., there will be a candlelight vigil at the Rainbow Lounge, 651 S. Jennings St.
16 Comments
I have read in the Fort Worth Star Telegram that there is another protest scheduled for 7pm, July 5th at the Ft Worth Convention Center, is this true?
I called Joel Burns’ office (my councilman, District 9) and his staff could not provide any detail. She politely put me on hold and asked Kathleen Hicks staff who also were unaware of any details. They apparently were called by the Fort Worth Convention Center who asked if they had details as they had not been contacted to schedule the event or permit. Does anyone have information on whether this is accurate? Who or what group may be organizing? My wife and I want to participate.
Tammye – Is there a link or website that is accepting words of encouragement for Chad and his family? They should know that many are watching the unfolding of this event and concern for his future health.
I got an invite to the protest at Sundance Square on the 5th. It is part of the Milk Box initiative.
My heart and prayers go out to Chad Gibson, his family and friends, for the senseless assault that caused him great injury. Keep up the prayers and positive words for Chad. Dont hate the ones that caused this, but hate the actions. The truth will be revealed, and those responsible will be held accountable.
We send our deepest sympathy to Chad Gibson, his family and friends, and the rest of the community who have suffered such a tragic outburst of brutality.
One question comes to mind: Why is there no call for a federal civil-rights investigation?! I haven’t heard of one….
There are often ways to spin any issue. So let’s bring it back to medical fact. Chad has a concussion. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic, a renowned medical organization, has to say about that:
(this is excerpted only; read more here: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concussion/DS00320/)
CAUSES:
Your brain has the consistency of gelatin. It’s cushioned from everyday jolts and bumps by the cerebrospinal fluid that it floats in, inside your skull. A violent blow to your head can cause your brain to slide forcefully against the inner wall of your skull. Even the sudden stop of a car crash can bounce your brain off the inside of your skull. This can result in BLEEDING IN OR AROUND YOUR BRAIN and the tearing of nerve fibers. (emphasis added)
RISK FACTORS:
ANY blow to the head can cause a concussion. FALLS and traffic accidents often involve concussions, with or without other injuries. Without proper safety equipment and supervision, student athletes may be at increased risk of concussions when playing football and other contact sports. (emphasis added)
I’ve seen many people say that stumbling and falling couldn’t cause a concussion. That’s medically inaccurate. My last concussion was during a car wreck and was caused by simply banging my head against the window when I spun after I was t-boned. Hitting my head against the window would carry a lot less velocity than a 150-pound man falling down and hitting his head against concrete, especially since he was in cuffs at the time and so wouldn’t have been able to throw out his hands to cushion his fall. What is ironic, here, is that he was in police custody, not police control. Police control would indicate that they were controlling his movements/lack of movements at the time. If, say, that had been the case, and they’d forced him to sit down so he wouldn’t fall down, I’ll bet people would start calling that assault as well. Either way, spin spin spin.
I’ll repeat again that I feel bad for Chad as he recovers from alcohol poisoning and the effects of his self-sustained concussion…I imagine it hurts. It’s now come out that he was asked repeatedly by officers – both FWPD and TABC – to sit down after he was placed in cuffs, as he wasn’t looking well. I’ve now seen two accounts of eyewitnesses who said he looked ill before he started throwing up and fell down. So let’s dial back the hysteria that this was caused by someone bashing his head in. As with any concussion, recovery takes time.
Let’s hear what another police officer has to say about this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PScswWSOas0
Boy, Pro Police, you have been real busy trying to minimize what the police have done. Your “perp-falling scenario ” instead of chad being thrown to the floor and your alcohol poisoning disinformation stunt takes the cake. You should be ashamed of yourself. You obviously, must be connected in some way with the police or you wouldn’t be going out of your way to discredit Mr. Gibson and try and make the police look lilly white. I’m sure most people can see through your “concerns” for what they are regarding Chad’s health.
“PRO POLICE SAYS” – gee, how convenient that you choose to characterize Chad’s tragic condition as ONLY being possible from his own actions — and not from the police. Your google search of the Mayo clinic hardly qualifies you as an investigative reporter – especially when that same google search indicates “a violent blow to your head can cause your brain to slide forcefully against the inner wall of your skull” —which would certainly appply to any overly aggressive and physical handling by the police….
Your “PRO POLICE SAYS” name only makes its pretty obvious you will spin away any accountablitiy on the part of the police department and worse yet – your fake sympathy for Chad is nothing short of disgusting.
dear mr or mrs pro police,
are you a dr at jps? if so, you have just released medical records without patient consent. i’m sure there are medical regulatory boards that want to talk to you.
if not, speak to what you know, not to what you speculate. could a skull fracture cause a person to be wobbly and cause them to start vomitting? what does the mayo clinic have to say about that? could pressure on the brain from hemmoraging cause symptoms that could be mistaken for “alcohol poisoning”?
thank you for your time.
This is criminal police brutality. The officer who committed this crime should be persecuted to the full extent of the law.
The thought of a bunch of policemen conducting a “raid” on a law-abiding group of people, then beating at least one of them into a life-threatening state — it’s despicable.
Everyone on that police department should be deeply ashamed of these actions.
Pro Police I really wish you would get all your facts correct. I appreciate everyone on this board and their thoughts and prayers. I am getting a little better each day.. I cannot thank everyone enough..
Hi Chad, I’m glad you’re on the mend.
Pro Police could be a foil for the police to dispense disinformation about the raid. Pro went out of his/her way to protect the police and dismiss your viewpoint. The marks of their brutality are on you not them. I hope those who did this bashing to you are stripped of their power and punished for this. They are not police, they are thugs in uniforms.
Hey, Chad! Good to know you are doing better. Folks across the country are watching this story unfold (as the police account begins to fall apart). I know you can’t respond to everyone who writes, so please consider making a post every few days on the Facebook page for the Rainbow Lounge Raid. [ https://www.facebook.com/wall.php?id=109253439840#/group.php?gid=109253439840 ]. You and the others who were physically and/or emotionally traumatized in this abuse of power are in my thoughts and prayers. Keep on the mend!! Richard W. Fitch, Indianapolis, IN.
Does anyone know Chad’s current condition? My readers are asking about him.
Oh, here’s a happy headline:
Texas Liquor Board Fires Three Over Raid on Gay Bar
https://tinyurl.com/nj4r2x
very good posting. thank you. 🙂 DD
bathmate