From my gut instinct's perspective, the real timing takeaway is probably that this bar was new and in a part of the city...a neighborhood...that was not all that thrilled to ‘welcome’ it.
From what I gather, in fort Worth still today as it once here in Dallas.... people who know people routinely access those conduits and strings get pulled and the assumption is that no one will cry foul ...or cry publicly at all.
Funny thing is, many of those in the TABC and law enforcement as elsewhere .... still think the world is flat. Meaning that they think they can be doing whatever they want and no one will speak up because they are afraid of people learning they were at a gay bar. In fact we live in an urban world where the heterosexuals brag about going to JR's.
Wake up and smell the price one pays when they remain blind to change and fight to maintain their own prejudice in the name of God and country.
While it's refreshing to hear Steen's apology and plan to make sure it doesn't happen again, why did it take so long for him to speak about it?
Maybe he feared being groped, too.
I admit, the fact it took a while ain't great...but it is refreshing for once to see someone "in charge" step up, admit fault, and offer a point at which to start "fixing" the situation.
Rawlins, I'm glad you weighed in. I tend to agree with your anaylsis...I think this was a "welcome wagon." The sole purpose was to set a precedent.
I used to work behind a bar, and will say I'm not shocked that the TABC did this. It's their MO. They made a point...quite powerfully. Oh, they did that, and so much more.
As tragic as the injuries are, I'm going to say this: I think the net result from this is going to be positive. The TABC can ween out bad agents, and people are a little more aware. I wish a speedy recovery to Chad Gibson. I look forward to the day this kind of crap is in a history book, and not on 1A of the paper.
On the "refreshing" note, some of this reminds me of the terrible Plano-cop-pulls-a-black-football-player-over-and-
harasses-him-while-his-motherinlaw-dies situation, in that an official who saw the tape admitted outright that the officer's actions were reprehensible and indicative of another day and age. Actually being embarrassed about such backwoods actions is good. But admitting embarrassment is the step that could produce actual advancement. So maybe in the end we're getting somewhere. One can only hope.
Next time I'm in FW and I see a patrol cop, I'll be sure to blow a kiss to him. He'll choke on his own impotent rage!
Seriously, the astounding thing here isn't the abuse of power -- which is, sadly, to be expected -- or even the brutality itself. The mind-boggling part is that these officers are apparently still living in 1972 -- they honestly believe their version of events to be plausible, and they assume any red-blooded American male would of course understand that, should a man blow a kiss at you, he will receive an inexorable ass-whuppin'. I'm heterosexual, dammit -- strictly, strictly heterosexual -- and I don't care how many brain injuries I have to inflict to prove it!
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