The authorities deny that it was a raid, but bar owners, managers, and patrons are asking what else to call it.
  • Eccitaze@yiffit.net
    4·
    1 year ago

    OKAY, time for some clarification as a Seattle local:

    • This was NOT an isolated incident. The Cuff Complex, which was one of the bars that got raided, had been raided so many times in the past the owner had to put up a sign warning customers not to wear jockstraps because of the heavy enforcement (which ironically caused him to lose even more business because everyone was pissed at the owner for “policing bodies”)

    • Gay bars were being targeted disproportionately to straight bars. Remember, there are a LOT more straight bars than gay bars. Raiding 4 gay bars covers a sizable chunk of all the gay bars in Seattle, but raiding 14 straight barsis a relative drop in the bucket.

    • A gay cabaret club owner crunched the numbers and found his establishment was raided 1,550% more than the average liquor licensee. The owner of the Cuff also owns another gay bar and a regular straight bar. His two gay bars are frequently raided, while the straight bar has NEVER been raided.

    • The board that enforces liquor laws is the LCB. Two funny facts: First, the rule against lewd conduct was created by… The LCB, not the state legislature. Second, the LCB stands for the Liquor and Cannabis board, which means that they are already ignoring a law when it suits their purpose (the federal prohibition against cannabis).

    • Finally, after the gay community collectively tore the LCB a new asshole during a board meeting earlier this week, the LCB reversed course and basically said “ah shit we fucked up” and is suspending enforcement of its lewd conduct rules. I strongly recommend this Mastodon thread from someone who attended the meeting, it’s truly a thing of glory and demonstrates just how close the LCB was to getting slapped with a discrimination lawsuit: https://partyon.xyz/@nullagent/111851872885551640

  • yesman@lemmy.world
    41·
    1 year ago

    The lewd conduct violations in question were related to clothing that exposed the buttocks and nipples of patrons, which is prohibited under state law in liquor establishments, he said, noting that, in his opinion, the law needed to change to be a reflection of today’s times.

    Absolute horseshit. According to the Supreme Court, the pigs have no duty to uphold law, enforce court orders, or protect citizens. We’ve seen plenty refuse to enforce gun regulations and COVID restrictions recently. Don’t ever believe them when they say they can’t pick and choose what to enforce.

    Castle Rock v. Gonzales

    Warren v. District of Columbia

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
      2·
      1 year ago

      Don’t ever believe them when they say they can’t pick and choose what to enforce.

      Man the Supreme Court fucked up with that one. If the Executive branch can pick and choose that means it is taking on the duties of the other branches. Which breaks the entire concept of Checks and Balances. Who the hell wants that? Judges issue arrest warrants and cops are like “nah”, legislation changes the law and law enforcement vetos it.

  • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
    1·
    1 year ago

    How’s about investigating straight bars where dudes drug girls by sneaking GHB on their drinks or spend the night sexuality harassing and touching girls without their consent?

    No, they gotta go after the assless chaps.

      • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
        0·
        1 year ago

        A bar is a private establishment.

        If they do it in the bushes in a public park, that’s a different story.

        • 52fighters@sopuli.xyz
          11·
          1 year ago

          Some bars are private establishments. Those bars require memberships. The rest are public non-governmental establishments. These are open to the general public. Lewd behavior does not belong in any public establishment. If you want that type of environment, make it a membership only establishment.

      • doctorcrimson@lemmy.world
        0·
        1 year ago

        So you don’t vote but the Christofascists do vote, that’s your solution? Political apathy is going to somehow save the day? If you don’t like the pool of candidates maybe you should study law and politics for 2 years then run for the position yourself?

    • tocopherol@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      1·
      1 year ago

      The police are an occupying force everywhere in the US, they make it painfully obvious in Seattle. For example in 2020 a police vehicle cruised slowly through my neighborhood blasting the COPS theme “Bad Boys”. Not as bad as murder or brutality obviously but I think it helps illustrate their average behavior.

      • NOT_RICK@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Doomerism breeds apathy. Get your bricks ready just in case, but don’t forget to vote

        • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
          01·
          1 year ago

          Voting’s not going to matter now.

          We elected a Democratic Congress and president and abortion was still criminalized. Their only response to it was to raise money. (A cool $80,000,000 to be precise.)

          The only difference between these two groups of legislators is that one will stab you in the front while the other stabs you in the back. They’re both getting richer no matter who wins.

          • ArxCyberwolf@lemmy.ca
            1·
            1 year ago

            Sorry, but who exactly is in control of the House and stonewalls any sort of progress before it could ever reach the Senate or Biden? Here’s a hint: it’s not the Democrats. Get your voter apathy nonsense outta here, people who think like you do are why the Republicans are able to win and do so much damage.

            • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
              11·
              1 year ago

              No, the Republicans win because we give Democrats power and still get conservative outcomes regardless.

              In half of the states it’s still legal to pay someone seven bucks an hour. A single unexpected $400 expense will drive 30-40 million Americans to take on more debt. An unexpected injury or illness will still put most Americans into bankruptcy.

              And what do Democrats do? Pretend that war is the most important issue, and move heaven and earth to ship more of our tax money overseas for it.

              That is why so many people don’t think voting matters, and they’re not wrong.

              • seejur@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                1 year ago

                Abortion is a product of the supreme Court being stuffed by Conservatives under Trump. So yes, a precise product of letting Conservatives win the elections in 2016. It doesn’t get more direct than this

  • SpiceDealer@lemmy.world
    0·
    1 year ago

    I expect to see this shit go down somewhere like Alabama or my home state of Tennessee or even Utah but Seattle? I thought Seattle was one of these “progressive” cities. What the fuck is going on?

  • kemsat@lemmy.world
    0·
    1 year ago

    If it’s consensual between people of appropriate ages, then the government should have absolutely nothing to say or do.

  • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
    0·
    1 year ago

    Postman further detailed the extent of the inspections, noting that on Friday night, the JET visited 10 locations, including two known as historic gay clubs. On Saturday, LCB officers inspected eight clubs, two of which were gay clubs.

    Also

    The lewd conduct violations in question were related to clothing that exposed the buttocks and nipples of patrons, which is prohibited under state law in liquor establishments, he said, noting that, in his opinion, the law needed to change to be a reflection of today’s times.

    Sounds like pretty standard, as opposed to directed, harrassment. Well, if they had information about how many tickets were given out at each club they “visited”. And I happen to agree with the guy (shudder), the law needs to be changed.

    • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
      0·
      1 year ago

      Nah, the seattle PDs MO would be to target the gay clubs but then also “inspect” several straight clubs to cover it up.

      Its a police department that’s been under a federal consent degree for over a decade due to racist policing and excessive force. Its the police department whose second in command of the union was recently recorded joking about how little a young indians woman’s life was worth after a cop just recklessly killed her with his car going 74 in a 25. Its a department that illegally hung a “trump 2020” flag in the same break room they were displaying trophies from black lives matter protests. A department that directly maced a small child during said protests, along with hundreds of other brutal and unjustified actions. The same department whose last chief mysteriously lost a great sum of official conversations with the the mayor and the head of the police union during the protests. The previous mayor and head of the police union also strangely “lost” those legally public conversations.

      They get no reasonable doubt because they have failed to live up to that standard too many times.

      • Tujio@lemmy.world
        01·
        1 year ago

        Don’t forget the cop who tweeted “black lives splatter LOL” after a woman was killed at one of the BLM protests.

        Or the lieutenant who asked everyone to refer to him as Obergruppenführer and had Nazi memorabilia in his office. And yes, that was the local sheriff’s department not Seattle PD, but still…

  • Immersive_Matthew@sh.itjust.works
    01·
    1 year ago

    It was more than just gay clubs visited all under enforcing liquor laws which begs the question, is this a top priority for Seattle society as surely those same police personnel could have been working on real issues as surely naked nips and exposed ass pants are doing little society harm. Meanwhile, a few more drunk drivers never got stopped. That is the real crime here. Seattle police are distracted with low priority issues. Is this ok with the people living there?

    • Sunforged@lemmy.ml
      01·
      1 year ago

      Nah but the libs keep electing conservative Dems.

      Edit: Guarantee these downvotes are coming from people who don’t live in a solid blue city. There is only one viable party so you get all flavors of democrats, the most conservative ones always win mayor and the majority of city council.

      • Dwemthy (he/him)@lemdro.idEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        The head of the city council is also against the recent referendum to shift local elections to even years, which would likely increase turn out. Higher turn out usually means more progressive votes

        • Sunforged@lemmy.ml
          01·
          1 year ago

          I mean Sarah Nelson thought we could reduce traffic by using kayaks in Elliott Bay for freight, so she’s just a font of good ideas.

          Let’s not forget the major gerrymandering that was done to the 3rd district to push out socialist Kshama Sawant.

  • LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world
    03·
    1 year ago

    Seems like they were just the ones breaking the rules.

    Postman further detailed the extent of the inspections, noting that on Friday night, the JET visited 10 locations, including two known as historic gay clubs. On Saturday, LCB officers inspected eight clubs, two of which were gay clubs. He said these inspections were part of their routine work to ensure compliance with state liquor laws.

    Annecdotal the gay clubs and festivals I’ve been too are way more sexually charged so tbh this isn’t really shocking to me.