Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Officer Answers Bar Patrons' Complaints
by Andrew Davis
2005-06-01

This article shared 1351 times since Wed Jun 1, 2005
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Patrons of two North Side gay nightspots have accused police of harassment—and the head of the police district has responded to the charges.

Various reports contend that officers have allegedly harassed patrons of both Jackhammer, located at 6406 N. Clark, and the Anvil, 1137 W. Granville. ( The situations, incidentally, occurred outside the bars. ) According to an e-mail obtained by Windy City Times, Jim Keup, Jackhammer's owner, mentioned to Commander Bruce Rottner of the 24th District that patrons have been 'leaving the bar and interrogated/searched' by police officers.

In a separate e-mail to Windy City Times, a person stated that officers supposedly accused his friends of buying and selling drugs at the bar.

Windy City Times also received an e-mail stating that patrons were harassed by officers who were looking for drugs. 'Police confronted [ the patrons ] and began a search of their vehicle, tearing it apart in search of illegal drugs ... none were found,' the message noted. However, the same e-mail noted an incident that supposedly involved verbal harassment. According to the letter, one officer allegedly asked a patron upon seeing a Chicago Public School parking permit on his vehicle, 'What would the principal of 'ABC School' think if he knew that one of his teachers was going to a fag bar?'

Rottner responded to Keup's message with an e-mail of his own, which Windy City Times also obtained. In the missive, the commander advised Keup to 'get the word out that the police may be focusing on bars in the area ... for the very short term.' Rottner added that he knew that the owner 'can't control what patrons do outside of the bar.'

In a phone conversation, Rottner echoed those sentiments when asked about what transpired outside the Anvil. 'Bars should expect officers; they're going to show up periodically,' he said. 'People are going to be stopped. It happened to my own daughter in the 23rd District [ recently ] , and she was let go. She told me about it and I told her that's how things work sometimes.'

As for the allegation regarding verbal harassment, Rottner told Windy City Times that if the charge is true, 'it's definitely not appropriate. We do a heck of a lot of diversity training and we don't condone derogatory statements. We can't change attitudes but we can change behavior. [ If accusations of verbal assault turn out to be true, ] we may have to discipline officers to enforce professional behavior.'

Rottner also emphasized his availability. 'If someone has a legitimate complaint, he should call a supervisor,' he said. 'Feel free to contact me.' Call ( 312 ) 744-5907 or bruce.rottner@chicagopolice.org .


This article shared 1351 times since Wed Jun 1, 2005
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

NATIONAL Texas court, police chief, Gentili memorial, Philly controversy
2024-02-09
The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments challenging Senate Bill 14, the ban on gender-affirming care that went into effect last September, KERA reported. SB 14 blocks trans minors from accessing gender-affirming medical care, such as ...


Gay News

Seattle LGBTQ+ bars push back against raids
2024-01-30
In Seattle, a group of Capitol Hill gay bars and clubs are teaming with neighborhood queer community leaders Dan Savage and Terry Miller in calling for the state's liquor control board and Seattle police officials to ...


Gay News

Suspect arrested in gay Philadelphia journalist's death
2023-10-27
Police arrested 19-year-old Robert Davis, who they say shot and killed gay journalist/LGBTQ+-rights activist Josh Kruger in his home earlier this month, The Advocate reported, citing The Philadelphia Inquirer and other sources. On Oct. 26, Davis ...


Gay News

Teen suspect arrested in killing of gay dancer
2023-08-05
The New York Police Department arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley, who was attacked last weekend at a Brooklyn gas station. According to The Advocate, Sibley, a professional dancer, had been ...


Gay News

WORLD Marielle Franco, trans student dies, Iranian official, 'Drag Race'
2023-08-04
Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino announced a plea agreement with one of two police officers accused of assassinating Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, a Black lesbian and human-rights activist who was killed by gunfire from ...


Gay News

Dancer O'Shae Sibley murdered amid rising violence against LGBTQs; GLAAD highlights trend
2023-08-01
--From a press release - At least five LGBTQ people have been murdered in recent weeks, following a dramatic spike in anti-LGBTQ hate and harassment during Pride month. GLAAD: "[O'Shae] Sibley's shocking murder follows a disturbing rise in violence and harassment ...


Gay News

Prime Minister Trudeau condemns Canadian university stabbings
2023-07-01
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the June 28 stabbings of a professor and two students in a gender-studies class at the University of Waterloo after police revealed the motive was hate-related, calling it "heinous violence," ...


Gay News

WORLD Australia case, Turkey march, Elton John, Mexico City, China
2023-06-30
In Australia, the judge overseeing an inquiry examining the 30-year-old unsolved murder of former AC/DC manager Crispin Dye criticized New South Wales (NSW) Police after the revelation of explosive evidence in the case, The Advocate noted. ...


Gay News

NATIONAL School news, Larry Kramer, trans veteran, Steamworks battle
2023-06-23
In a late-night vote, the Virginia Beach School Board narrowly approved a resolution that opposes discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ+ youth and adults in the school division, WVEC reported. The vote came after board members spent ...


Gay News

What's the latest with CPD's LGBTQ+ liaisons? WCT talks with a CPD deputy director
2023-06-18
Two years ago, Windy City Times talked with the Chicago Police Department's (CPD's) Deputy Director of Community Policing Mike Milstein and then-citywide liaison Bernard Escamilla about the city's LGBTQ+ liaisons for the CPD. Since the ...


Gay News

Violent clash takes place at Calif. school-board meeting over LGBTQ+ rights
2023-06-07
On June 6, protesters clashed and fights erupted outside a meeting of the Glendale Unified School District board, which was scheduled to vote on recognizing June as Pride Month, ABC7 reported. After the skirmishes, police in ...


Gay News

Illinois middle-school teacher loses job for promoting 'This Book Is Gay'
2023-05-18
Making This Book Is Gay available to her eighth-grade students resulted in Illinois teacher Sarah Bonner being reported to police—and eventually losing her job, according to an item from The Advocate. According to Today.com, Bonner (who ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Gun control, San Francisco, trans-rights bill, Portland police, Roxane Gay
2023-05-05
Openly gay Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recently signed four gun-control measures into law, per the Colorado Newsline. The new laws raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, impose a three-day waiting period for ...


Gay News

Billy Masters: Davidson answers some inseam-ly speculation
2023-04-17
"You leave your phone in the car and don't answer for the night and this?"—Drake Bell addresses someone reporting him to the police as "missing and endangered". The size of Pete Davidson's penis has long been ...


Gay News

CPD's internal affairs department looks into 'like' of anti-trans tweet
2023-04-07
Internal affairs investigators are looking into a report that the official Twitter account for the Chicago Police Department (CPD) liked an anti-trans post by county-music singer Travis Tritt, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. A photo on ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.