Two gay men and a transsexual say they were accosted by employees of the Liar's Club, 1665 W. Fullerton, Sunday, Jan. 23 just after midnight. Chad Edwards, 29, and his transsexual partner, Maria ( a pseudonym ) , and friend Kurt Schneider decided to leave soon after they arrived, because the club was so crowded.
When they first arrived, the bouncer gave Maria a problem because her ID was for a male. Schneider tried to leave first, and because he had only been inside five minutes, he asked for his $5 cover back. The bouncer allegedly threw him out head first.
"He said to me, 'Get the fuck out of here, you fag,' and he pushed me out the door and I fell to the ground. He came at me twice," Schneider said. The bouncer made a 14" long rip in Schneider's leather jacket in the course of the alleged assault. This was witnessed by Maria, who in turn suggested that Edwards and she wait a few minutes before exiting.
Edwards and Maria tried to leave soon after, and Edwards told Outlines he was then punched above the eye and started to bleed. Edwards claims two bouncers and a third man, possibly a manager, dragged him by his hair about 20 feet down the block into a doorway and punched him in the face about 15— 20 times, one of the men calling him "Fucking faggot."
The attackers only stopped when Schneider picked up a metal object and shouted at them, Edwards said. The bouncers also allegedly pushed Maria to the ground and ripped her purse.
The victims called police twice, but when the officers arrived, they appeared reluctant to believe the story. Instead, they listened to the evolving stories presented by staff. Edwards was told if he filed a complaint, the bar would, too. Edwards said he would not file a complaint, but was going to call his lawyer—that statement, he says, got him arrested.
Edwards said he has twice tried to file charges against his attackers, but police have denied him that right. Edwards received five stitches at Grant Hospital, and Edwards and Schneider ( not Maria ) were taken into custody.
Chicago Anti-Bashing Network is assisting Edwards and the other two, and CABN said the stories of the victims have been consistent.
"When they arrived, police interviewed Edwards, Schneider and Maria, as well as the two bouncers who assaulted the three, and a manager who witnessed much of the assault," CABN said. "While Edwards', Schneider's and Maria's repeated retelling of the story have remained consistent in all significant details, the three stories told by the attackers and their accomplice, as recounted by police, were wildly inconsistent.
"On one account, Edwards was dragged from the bar and beaten up by Maria. On another account, Schneider had an argument with the manager. On yet a third account, Edward picked a fight with one of the bouncers," CABN reported. "While initially unbiased, the police's demeanor towards the three victims changed abruptly once they discovered Maria was a transsexual while checking her ID."
"It was weird," said Edwards. "When they [ the police ] found out that Maria was a transsexual, everything changed. Then I became the person at fault. The cop I was talking to cut me off as soon as he found out Maria was a man."
Edwards has filed a complaint against the police with the City's Office of Professional Standards and has twice subsequently attempted to have criminal charges filed against the bar employees.
CABN demands that the two bigoted bouncers and the manager be fired forthwith by the Liars Club. They also demand that the City of Chicago fire the officers who compounded this hate crime by making false arrests.
