Owner of Cleveland Gay Bar Told to Stop Calling Police Reporting Hate Crimes

[William769]

Cleveland police have delivered a letter warning the owner of a local gay bar to end his frequent calls for police assistance, despite several documented instances of antigay hate crimes committed outside the bar in recent weeks.

After apparently calling the police nine times in the past year, in some cases to report anti-LGBT disturbances outside Cocktails Lounge, the gay bar's owner received a letter from the Cleveland police warning that "repeated calls to the same property place an undue and inappropriate burden on the taxpayers of the City of Cleveland." The letter, obtained by Towleroad, orders owner Brian Lyons to submit an action plan to police within 10 days "outlining your strategy to eliminate the problems at this location." Should Lyons fail to "address these issues, resulting in future calls for police service," public safety director Martin L. Flask wrote, Lyons will be "scrutinized for appropriate administrative or law enforcement action."

Over Labor Day weekend, a gay man was beaten by a group of as many as 20 young people as he walked to Cocktails Lounge. Jared Fox suffered a bruised and lacerated face and a ruptured eardrum as a result of the attack. The assailants reportedly took Fox's phone, so he had to call the police from inside the bar. Three other calls reporting disturbances near the bar were also made that same night, according to police.

This week Cocktails released video showing a group of young people throwing rocks — some the size of cantaloupes — over the bar's fence at patrons standing on the patio. Customers inside the bar stepped outside and reportedly chased away the would-be attackers. One 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection to the attack, reports Towleroad.

http://www.advocate.com/society/hate-crimes/2013/09/12/watch-police-complain-cleveland-gay-bar-has-called-cops-too-many

Maybe if they did their job to "serve & protect" they wouldn't have to be called. Just a thought.

[atreides1]

1. "Serve & Protect"

Isn't in the job description anymore...and unless they can call out a SWAT team and shoot at least one unarmed person...it really isn't worth their time!

[47of74]

25. "To Punish and Enslave" is more accurate

[mikeysnot]

32. To intimidate and harass.

is the rule now...

[kestrel91316]

48. [phone]

[Little Star]

2. The police department is suppose to serve & protect all.......

That bar & it's patrons pay taxes and those cops can not deny them service and/or protection.

I hope that police department gets their asses sued.

[William769]

3. Me too.

They have already rescinded that bullshit letter.

[Politicalboi]

5. "Serve and Protect" went out the window

A while back. There was a story here a few weeks ago about a big burly man getting stabbed and beaten with 2 cops witnessing the whole thing and doing NOTHING. The man who was beaten eventually stopped the guy and the cops took him into custody, and claimed THEY saved the man who was being beaten and stabbed. This guy try to sue, but the judge even though he agreed, couldn't allow it by law.

Setting up camera's is a good thing to do I suppose. At least you can possibly ID the thugs.

[RandiFan1290]

4. Probably trying to force them to hire off duty

They can wear their costume and make a nice chunk of change to "protect" the bar.

[kestrel91316]

6. (shrug) Here in LA the LAPD says right out front that they are not available to "protect" anyone.

Not their job. We are on our own and can call them after the dust settles so they can file a report to go into the circular file.

And that "service" thing - well, I'm not sure what on earth they do to fulfill that part. Nothing I'm aware of.

LAPD is a big gang with badges.

[dickthegrouch]

47. Then I don't expect to see a single LAPD cop

in any motorcade for their Mayor, or any other visiting political dignitary. We are all to be treated equally doncha know.

I don't wish anyone any harm, but they MUST apply their policies in equal measure.

[The Straight Story]

7. They have rescinded the letter

NewsChannel5 reached out to the city for more explanation about the letter. It received a statement in response. It said the timing of the letter was an unfortunate coincidence and police got called to the lounge for a variety of complaints.

Those complaints did not include the alleged hate crimes. It went on to say that it’s rescinding its letter to the lounge and instead, the district commander and property owners will meet to address the issues.

[William769]

8. Only after they were "outed".

Justice may be blind, but she damn sure can hear.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Brilliant!

[maddezmom]

11. ....

[ismnotwasm]

50. I just posted this to Facebook anyway.

This is disgusting and unacceptable.

[William769]

54. ...

[maddezmom]

10. Wtf?

I would like to say unbelievable but seems par for the course sometimes. Truly revolting.

[William769]

14. It gets so surreal sometimes.

Makes one wonder why do I even get out of bed. But then I think of allies (like you) and it makes getting out of bed a lot easier.

[maddezmom]

16. ....

I feel the same way sometimes about getting out of bed or even turning on the TV. :hugs:

[indepat]

12. The Cleveland police might have more pressing business to attend to, such as,

finding, arresting, and ruining the lives of those who can be caught smoking a weed.

[Behind the Aegis]

13. Who is their Chief of Police, Clancy Wiggum?!

[William769]

15. ...

[maddezmom]

17. Oh dear

[bunnies]

18. Id like to know how many other bars got that letter.

Im thinking of a number..... care to guess? Disgusting bigotry at its "finest".

[William769]

20. Thats a good point.

I remember back in the early 90's where, out of all the bars in the city we only have 3 Gay bars, lost count of the nudie bars & "straight bars about the same number as we have gas stations. But yet the Gay bars were being harassed on a nightly basis checking the Id's of it's patrons for age but the other bars were not. Once we finally got the news involved the local PD said they were hitting all the bars equally, when pressed for documentation they could not produce it. The Gay bars were finally stopped being harassed. Just goes to show well you get my point.

[bunnies]

23. Exactly.

And if this bar really is calling the police more than any other bar its due to asshole bigots targeting people for living their life. And In that case, the police should be offering MORE protection and patrolling, not less. Either way its just another way to oppress a minority group out of hate. Pisses me off.

[totodeinhere]

19. This is infuriating. Do your job police. Protect the rights of all

citizens including LGBT's and stop complaining about being asked to do your job, the job we the taxpayers are paying you to do.

[petronius]

21. I'm not a police officer or anything like it, so perhaps I'm missing some subtle

nuance, but my uneducated opinion would be that repeated calls to the same area would indicate a problem in need of police attention. In fact, I read a great deal of literature on how police departments usually are extremely interested in identifying crime patterns, hot spots, and clusters in order to respond effectively.

Wonder why that's not the reaction here, I said to myself, not actually wondering at all...

[William769]

22. Just so you know.

I am retired Law Enforcement & yours was not a uneducated opinion but a very educated one.

[backscatter712]

58. There is a problem in need of police attention. A bigot problem.

But they're choosing to blame the bar for the actions of a bunch of anencephalic homophobes. Like so many others in this thread have already said, the cops need to STFU and do their fucking jobs.

[gopiscrap]

24. Fucking asshole pigs

I can't stand cops and this is just one of the many reasons!!!

[Rex]

26. YAY COPS!

[Shrike47]

27. The letter basically implies the bar and it's patrons are CAUSING the problem.

Fix the problem by going out of business or stop serving/attracting gays? It couldn't be the fault of the assaulters, could it?

[xfundy]

29. I'm trying to get a ticket to move to Parallel Earth.

Seriously, HOW much more fucked up can the nation get? The hatred is overwhelming.

[William769]

30. I'm afraid to answer that question.

[Scuba]

31. And women should quit reporting rapes, and homeowners should quit reporting burglaries...

... The Police are for corporate use only, doncha know? Your role is just to foot the bill.

[ladyVet]

33. The timing of the letter was unfortunate.

So, well, um. Never mind!

Sincerely,

Your helpful police force.

P. S. Why don't you gay people stay home?

****

Geez. I guess doing their darn jobs is too much to ask, isn't it?

On a side note, my brother was just telling me that law enforcement officers in NC will now have to pass a physical to keep their jobs. And brother, do a bunch of them need to get in shape! Half of them can barely walk, much less run.

[lpbk2713]

34. Open season on the bar and patrons once the word gets around.

Now the bar has good reason to go to the FBI for
protection due to a civil rights violation by the PD.

[snappyturtle]

35. OMG! The owner is responsible for a plan? NUTS. nt

[flobee1]

41. The owner should make copies of the letter

and post them all over the front of the building. When one of the thugs goes to the hospital over a case of "self defence" the owner need only to point to the letter. "you want my plan? here it is!"

this movie scene came to mind

[snappyturtle]

46. Perfect! Thank you. nt

[JohnnyRingo]

55. Have you ever been to a club that has security?

It's part of a plan that many bar owners face when they either cater to rowdy customers or operate in a violence filled neighborhood. Cocktails obviously fits into the latter category and should probably come up with a plan to deal with it. They can't expect a full time security guard at the taxpayer's expense. Cleveland police officers work privately in uniform for just this kind of situation.

Their other option is to relocate to a more upscale neighborhood. There are plenty of gay bars in Cleveland's trendy warehouse district that don't have such problems with violence. Simply complaining that the city of Cleveland is homophobic is going to get the owner nowhere except a loss of his liqueur permit and a trip to bankruptcy court. I feel sorry for the owner, but his options are clearly limited.

[snappyturtle]

56. Good explanation. Thank you. nt

[SunSeeker]

36. WTF? 9 calls in one YEAR is not out of line for any bar.

Especially a gay bar that is the target of hate crimes. And the burden should not be on the bar owner to create an "action plan" to prevent the attacks. That is the COPS' JOB!!!

The article says the cops already withdrew the letter. At least someone at Cleveland PD has a brain. Now they need to follow that up with an apology and an action plan, working with the bar owner, to make that place safe.

[William769]

38. Exactly.

[appal_jack]

37. This is victim-blaming at its worst. Inexcusable. k&r, n/t

[Make7]

39. Action plan:

Step 1: Have Cleveland Police Department hire people that understand their job.
Step 2: Let the police officers that understand their job do it.

[B Calm]

40. They don't want to be bothered, because they're too busy busting pot smokers!

[Cal Carpenter]

42. Stop being so gay, you are making people violent

[HughBeaumont]

43. "Ssssiiiiggghhh . . . the (insert slur here)s are calling again . . . Christ . . . ."

Oh, boo fucking hoo, you steroid-fattened bastards. Take time from riddling cars with magazines of bullets, protecting corrupt cops and verbally harrasing/assaulting citizens and do your fucking jobs, idiots.

Cleveland Police: When Minutes Matter, We're Just an Hour Away.

[LuvNewcastle]

44. We have two gay bars in the town where I live,

and I've known one of the owners for many years. She's told me before that it's very important for her to keep down calls to the police. If they get too many calls, they'll look for a way to shut you down. That's not just true for her bar, but any bar in town. Bar owners around here hate, HATE for the police to be called to their establishments.

Anyone with any kind of half-assed decent bar around here has its own security. They're at the door and they're out policing the parking lot. It keeps things from happening in the first place, and the police don't have to be called.

No police dept. should ever send letters out to a citizen threatening legal action for calling them too much. It's their fucking job, especially when hate crimes are committed, to investigate those crimes so the perpetrators can be prosecuted. But the bar owner also has a responsibility to his patrons to make sure they and their cars or other property are safe when they're guests there. A few big guys patrolling around that place could prevent about 90% of the bullshit going on at that bar. If the owner doesn't want to pay for some security around the place, he shouldn't be in business.

[HappyMe]

45. Nine times in a damn year!

That's nothing.

There's no excuse for this.

[JohnnyRingo]

49. That happens here in NE Ohio, and it's a reality for all bars.

Frequent calls to police label a bar as a "nuisance", and subjects it to losing their liqueur license. These police calls usually involve violence like nightly fights in the parking lot or drunk patrons that have to be extracted from the premises too often.

So I see why Cleveland police don't want to visit Cocktails every night to answer complaints, but are they discriminating because it's a gay bar? I doubt it anymore than they shut bars down here for serving rowdy drunken rednecks and bikers. The police dept is not a full time private security business at the taxpayer's expense.

Cocktails has an option that the Cleveland Police (and the union) probably want them to consider. They can hire an off-duty police officer as security. It's not uncommon for any club here that sees potential for violence for whatever reason. The uniformed officer even parks a squad car at the curb, and problems all but evaporate.

I know it's not Cocktails fault, but it may be the price of doing business in that particular hate infested neighborhood. I suspect the patrons would like to see the added security, and the owner could save his business. Or he can complain that the city of Cleveland is homophobic and hope to get full time police protection for free. No bar wants to be named a public nuisance.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

51. I bet the local Country Western bar has been called MORE than 9 times due to shitkicker blawls.

[Th1onein]

52. LOL! SAVE that letter! It is prima facie evidence of a civil rights violation.

Doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. The police cannot tell you not to call them when there is a crime. It's a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and their asses can wind up in federal court.

[DevonRex]

53. OMG, they're pretending the letter has nothing to do

with the hate crimes but with "other stuff." As IF the bar owner doesn't know exactly when AMD why police have been at or near his establishment.

The letter has been rescinded. That tells us all we need to know. It IS about crimes against gays and the bar having to call to protect its patrons. So the fucking CPD chief decided they could just get beat up or he'd close the place down. Until the bar owner made the letter public.

The bar owner needs to go to the Justice Department because that police chief will cook something up. You and I both know how that goes.
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/Cleveland-sends-Cocktails-Lounge-nuisance-letter-saying-police-dispatched-to-gay-bar-9-times-in-year

[backscatter712]

57. They want an "action plan"? I've got an action plan.

Arm the bartenders, bouncers, and all other staff at the establishment with twelve-gauge shotguns.

Then inform the police that due to continued harassment of the club's patrons, they're prepared to use deadly force on gay-bashers.

Oh, you'll see the police scurry to keep the bigots away. They hate paperwork.

On the off chance some of the bashers aren't deterred, then the next time a gang of bigoted subhuman filth comes and harasses the patrons, send one of the scumbags to the fucking morgue.

The message should only have to be sent once.

Every time a bigot dies, an angel gets his wings.