Apparently the Stonewall flashback wasn't just being felt in the West Village last night. Got a tip from a reader that while many of us were in Sheridan Square joyously celebrating the marriage equality victory for New York state, the Eagle was being raided. A source says that every year, a gay bar (or maybe several) is singled out by the cops on the Friday before pride and raided. This has been going on for a few years, apparently. He says he spoke to one longtime activist who commented how sad it is that on the night of a great gay rights victory, this happens.
A friend confirmed that "it does happen every year. One year they hit Splash, Rawhide and View Bar and kept them closed for a week."
Was anyone at the Eagle last night? Please contact me if you were. Will keep you posted as I get more details.
UPDATE 1:42 p.m.: A friend heard from someone who works there who says there was a "random" from the Fire Department, Buildings Department and Health Department. He says he is OK and that no one was arrested. Not sure what to make of this, but I'm glad everyone is OK.
UPDATE 9:51 p.m.: A reader sent in this note: yes, i was there and they definitely raided it. i argued with the police there for an hour over the outrage and eventually left. i am going to try to organize a response, like i did after the raids 3 years ago after pride.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Did the NYPD Raid the Eagle Last Night as the LGBT Community Celebrated Marriage Equality? (UPDATED)
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4 comments:
Not at the eagle, but the bathroom line at eastern block was pretty frosty. Never seen so many red noses.
My friend Suzan Revah posted about it last night on Facebook. You should friend her and ask. She's in town from San Francisco performing at pride events.
yes, i was there and they definitely raided it. i argued with the police there for an hour over the outrage and eventually left. i am going to try to organize a response, like i did after the raids 3 years ago after pride.
Yes, I was there. I got there about 11:45pm and saw a bunch of cops and people waiting outside. They kept us waiting outside until 1am. Needless to say, it put a damper on the evening's celebration not to mention a significant dent in the Eagle's pocketbook, since many people left when they saw the line outside.
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