Albuquerque SWAT Rousts Queers, Claim to Fear their Leers

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the SWAT team staged a daring raid involving automatic rifles and lots of leather. Was it a new cell of Islamic terrorists? No, just a gay Pride Gym that allegedly sold alcohol without a license. Why was SWAT called in? It seems that our darling defenders in those cute blue uniforms were afraid that the gay men at the gym just wouldn't be able to control themselves.

Yahoo reports on the original raid:

[G]ym patrons -- who were forced to lie on the floor, handcuffed, with semi-automatic rifles pointed at them -- say that if the raid was about an alcohol infraction, it was, at least, overkill.

Ronald, a 57-year-old gay man from Miami Beach who requested that his last name not be used, said he was visiting New Mexico looking for real estate opportunities when he heard about a “social event” at Pride Gym on Saturday evening.

“There were about 35 of us there, and most were older men, some in their 70s, eating tacos and chatting,” Ronald said. “Most of us were fully dressed, because it’s a legitimate gym with a sauna, but not a bathhouse.”

“Suddenly, a SWAT team carrying semi-automatic weapons, plastic shields and late gloves burst through the door and told us to get on the ground. They kept saying, ‘We’re not here for you,’ but still they handcuffed us and kept us on the ground until they could run background checks on all of us. This took about an hour.”

Strange, but those shy and sensitive police officers weren’t too afraid to have some of their own fun:

Ronald claimed that police officers led one man into a separate room and took pictures of him. “The guy was wearing a leather harness and a jockstrap. A female officer with a digital camera took him into a room; we saw about 15 or 20 flashes coming from there and heard lots of laughter. They (the officers) were having a good old time. It was like the gay Abu Ghraib.”

Planet Out reports on the ensuing outrage and evidence that the gym was targeted for the paramilitary treatment and a raid in general because it’s a place where gays hang out:

“What’s troubling is that the arrest warrant makes liberal reference to gay sexual activity going on after hours in the facility,” [Peter Simonson, executive director of the New Mexico ACLU] said. “And that activity, which is done by consenting adults in a private establishment, is not relevant to the alleged alcohol violation and is not illegal.”

The warrant recounts how [Detective C. Snyder of the Albuquerque Police Department vice unit and agent C. P. Fisher of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety] went to the gym June 17, paid the $15 admission, then stripped down to underwear and towels to blend into the bathhouse-like atmosphere. Officers said they were served beer, then went into a detailed account of the sexual activities they observed.

Regardless of what sexual activity might have occurred, that has nothing to do with the alleged violation of the alcohol laws. If those were the laws which the police were trying to enforce, then they should have written up a detailed account of what was served to whom and how often. A detailed account of sexual activities, which must have been based upon very detailed observations (exactly how close did they get?), can only mean that that’s what the officers were most interested in.

Detective Snyder and agent Fisher, do you have anything you need to admit to your families and coworkers? Do you have something you need to, you know, get off your chest... or out of the closet?

The warrant also states officers’ fears that “sending us into this place again puts us or any other undercover officer in danger of sexual assault and/or great bodily harm and/or injury.” The officers did not say that they were assaulted or even approached while undercover, however.

“They simply considered gay sexual activity deviant and threatening, and that may indicate unlawful motives for investigations,” Simonson said.

They claim to have been afraid, but they not only went in anyway but they also made great efforts to closely observe all the “deviant” sexual activity they could. Gee, that doesn’t sound like a repressed homophobe, does it?

As the Agitator notes:

You can see why the officers were worried. Honestly, if I have to read just one more account of a 70-year-old naked gay man jumping out of the showers to viciously attack a team of police officers with handfuls of taco?

Maybe law enforcement agencies in New Mexico should simply start sending all its officers to the Pride Gym for their workouts. That will increase each group’s sensitivity to the other and will also allow those with more repressed urges to start feeling more comfortable with coming out to express themselves. Everyone will benefit — even the female agents and officers, who will be in an environment where they can be confident that not every man is checking them out or about to hit on them. They should find it nice for the shoe to be on the other foot for a change.

 

Marriage, Gay & Straight:

• What Is Marriage?
• What's The Point of Marriage, Gay or Straight?
• Marriage: Religious Rite or Civil Right?
• Interracial Marriage: Loving v. Virginia
• What Does the Bible Say About Monogamy, Polygamy?
• History of Marriage (Marriage)
• Benefits of Legalized Marriage (Gay Life)

 

Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, and the Law:

• Why Ban Gay Marriage?
• Arguments for Gay Marriage
• Equal Rights vs. Special Rights
• Gay Marriage vs. Divorce & Remarriage
• Four Reasons to Support Gay Marriage (Civil Liberties)
• Where Can Gays Legally Marry? (Lesbian Life)
• Civil Unions vs. Gay Marriage (Lesbian Life)
• Civil Unions, Domestic Partnership & Gay Marriage (Gay Life)
• Gay Marriage 101 - Information on Gay Marriage, Civil Unions (Civil Liberties)
• 10 States that Could Legalize Gay Marriage or Civil Unions