JAMAICA: Police Beat Patrons In Bar Raid

Last week Jamaican police raided a Montego Bay gay bar, severely attacking its patrons. Rex Wockner reports at Bay Windows:

Around 20 officers kicked in doors, shouted anti-gay slurs, beat and pistol-whipped patrons, and made everyone leave, J-FLAG said. As the customers fled, patrons of nearby straight clubs pelted them with bottles and rocks, J-FLAG said. Ten of the raid’s victims sought medical treatment for injuries sustained in the attack, according to J-FLAG. There was a similar raid in early February at a gay club in Kingston, the capital. Officials have provided no explanation for either incident.

Following the raid, local LGBT activist Maurice Tomlinson received an emailed death threat which he forwarded to police "in case anything happens to me."

NEW JERSEY: Attorney General Nixes Investigation Of Park Killing By Cops

New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow has turned down requests that her office launch an independent investigation into the killing of DeFerra Gaymon, who was shot in a Newark-area park by an undercover detective who now claims Gaymon made a sexual advance on him. Gayman was a Georgia business executive who was in town for his 30th high school reunion.

Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey formally requested Dow open an inquiry into the fatal shooting of DeFarra Gaymon, 48, during a confrontation with the officer in Newark’s Branch Brook Park. The detective was investigating complaints about people engaging in sexual acts in the park. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the shooting, though the ACLU said, “considering the seriousness of the incident and many unanswered questions, this investigation demands the legitimacy that only an external review can provide.” After meeting with her top officials today afternoon, Dow concluded there was “no indication of a conflict with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office handling this case fairly and impartially,” said her spokesman, Paul Loriquet. “That was never called into question.”

And now the "investigation" remains with the very agency whose officers were involved. Wanna bet how THAT turns out?

SAN FRANCISCO: Police Launch Investigation Of Brawl At Gay Pride

San Francisco police have launched an investigation after officers were recorded beating back a crowd of brawling women at last Sunday's gay pride celebration. According to some, the police responded with excessive force. It is unknown if the brawling women are lesbians.

The incident took place about 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Hyde Street near United Nations Plaza, according to police. A video of the altercation, which has been posted on YouTube, shows several people gathered in a narrow sidewalk area, yelling and then being pushed back by police officers. At a certain point, an officer is seen beating someone with a baton. Later, several more officers, including some from the California Highway Patrol, come to assist and several people are detained. Two women are later seen grabbing at a CHP officer's baton, prompting cheering from the crowd gathered to watch. At various times, people can be heard yelling, "F--- the police!" A male voice can then be heard saying, "They're just doing their job, man!" and "You don't punch a cop."

Police spokeswoman Lt. Lyn Tomioka said police initially responded to break up a fight between two women, and then the officers were surrounded and attempted to disperse the crowd. Six women were taken into custody; another was cited and released. Tomioka said the department's internal affairs division is investigating the use of force by the officers. "It's an ongoing investigation, but use of force ... it's why we try to talk to people, but when we have no other option, use of force is required, unfortunately," Tomioka said. "But to the public, it never looks pretty.

Five women were charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. All have been released and are due in court on August 5th. From watching the tape, it appears to me that the cops performed as well as could be hoped in an outnumbered and out of control situation. Again folks, you do not put your hands on a cop, no matter what the situation. Take that bad arrest (if it IS one) to civil court and get your satisfaction there.

SEATTLE: Cop Under Investigation Over Fight During Jaywalking Arrest

Seattle police are investigating the actions of an officer caught on video as he punched a 17 year-old girl in the face after she attempted to interfere with the arrest of another female minor. The incident has brought claims of police brutality by civil rights activists. The officer was assigned to control jaywalking at a busy intersection across from a school. When he asked a group of girls to use the designated footbridge, one of them reportedly ignored him with a "dismissive hand gesture" and continued across the street. What followed is in the video below. While arresting somebody for jaywalking certainly seems excessive, what you do not ever do, in my opinion, is attempt to resist arrest. Never, ever, ever put your hands on a cop. Take that bad arrest to civil court and get your satisfaction there.

Former LA Police Chief Darryl Gates Dies

Former Los Angeles police chief Darryl Gates, whose legacy includes his disastrous handling of the Rodney King beating and subsequent citywide riots, has died at the age of 83.

As chief during the 1980s, Gates earned a reputation for dealing with gangs, drugs and street crime with a mix of tough, paramilitary force and innovation, establishing the first Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, unit and deploying helicopters to help patrol the sprawling city. But he came under fierce criticism after the violent March 3, 1991, arrest of Rodney King, a black parolee whose beating by Los Angeles police was captured on videotape and broadcast around the world as evidence of LAPD racism and brutality. Four of the officers were put on trial for King's beating and their acquittal in April 1992 by an all-white jury touched off three days of the worst urban riots in modern U.S. history, leaving 53 people dead. Gates, who was roundly criticized for attending a fund-raising dinner in the first hours of rioting, came under heavy pressure to resign and stepped down in June of that year.

Veteran Los Angeles-based gay reporter Karen Ocamb recalls Gates' notorious homophobia.

[T]he hell experienced by gay officers inside the LAPD was made public when Mitch Grobeson filed his famous lawsuit in 1988, describing harassment and being left without back up in a dangerous situation. Gay attorney Jon Davidson, now Legal Director for Lambda Legal, made sure Grobeson and other gays testified before Christopher Commission about the harassment they faced under Gate’s command – and the abuse the LGBT community suffered at the hand of LAPD cops. One interesting point from the Christopher Commission Report – which Gates threw down and stomped on – was this little tidbit: one of the Mobile Digital Transmissions (MDTs) referred to gays as “NHI” – “No Human Involved.”

Read Ocamb's exhaustive recounting of Gates' career. It's a fascinating look at the evolution of gay-police relations in Los Angeles.