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ACLU probes N.M. gay-gym raid
Larry Buhl, PlanetOut Network
Friday, July 7, 2006 / 02:28 PM
A weekend raid by law enforcement officers of the gay Pride Gym in Albuquerque, N.M., that left patrons "bullied, terrorized and humiliated" has prompted the ACLU and other groups to inquire into possible civil rights violations there.
New Mexico state police and the Albuquerque fire marshal's office entered and secured the men-only gym about 10 p.m. Saturday and arrested club manager Ron Cordova on suspicion of selling and dispensing alcohol without a liquor license, said New Mexico Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson.
But gym 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."
At least one elderly man suffered a panic attack and was taken away by paramedics, Ronald said. A few of the patrons were in the sauna when the raid occurred, and, when their towels fell, they were forced to lie on the floor naked, he said.
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."
One customer was arrested on an outstanding warrant during the raid, and five other customers were issued alcohol-related citations, Olson said, adding that state and local authorities have been cracking down on alcohol violations to curb drunken driving ever since Gov. Bill Richardson took office in 2003.
"The officers were serving a search warrant and the fire marshal was there to inspect the building," Olson said. "Any time there is a situation with a large number of people, officers will employ whatever tactics they need to maintain control of the situation."
The warrant, he said, arose from tips from locals that alcohol was being served at Pride Gym. "Any time agents find someone serving alcohol without a license, it causes concern because those proprietors are operating outside of the law." He said it's inaccurate to characterize Saturday night's event as a 'raid,' and maintained that officers were not out of bounds.
Regarding allegations of a female officer taking pictures of a patron and laughing, Olson had no comment.
Community leaders are asking how such an incident could happen and whether gay men were unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
Alexis Blizman, executive director of Equality New Mexico, acknowledged the state's aggressive alcohol-enforcement policy, but said the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are investigating whether the raid went beyond protocol.
"The first question is, was it (Pride Gym) targeted because it caters to gay customers?" Blizman said. "Then we will take a very hard look to see if there were any civil rights violations, and if there were, we will be dealing with them."
After the raid, the fire marshal's office ordered the building closed, citing "numerous fire code violations."
Peter Simonson, executive director of the New Mexico ACLU, said his preliminary research shows the raid was "extremely aggressive and reckless."
"Our concern is the policy of cracking down on alcohol violations is giving police a pretext to target businesses they don't like," Simonson said. "There is a strong sense in the LGBT community that (law enforcement) was targeting gays and that it feels a little like a witch hunt."
Simonson said the ACLU is urging the fire marshal to allow the gym to reopen after minor changes to its zoning certification with the city, and is determining if there was a significant violation of civil liberties.
"We were committing no crimes, and not one of us treated the police with any disrespect," Ronald said. "If they (the police) were trying to prevent drunk driving, why didn't they target the art gallery where I went earlier that night? They were serving wine."
Olson said art galleries serving alcohol had been the focus of similar enforcement in the past, and now employ professional bartenders to serve wine.
However, he said he was not aware of incidents where gallery patrons were forced to lie on the ground at gunpoint.
Larry Buhl, PlanetOut Network
Friday, July 7, 2006 / 02:28 PM
A weekend raid by law enforcement officers of the gay Pride Gym in Albuquerque, N.M., that left patrons "bullied, terrorized and humiliated" has prompted the ACLU and other groups to inquire into possible civil rights violations there.
New Mexico state police and the Albuquerque fire marshal's office entered and secured the men-only gym about 10 p.m. Saturday and arrested club manager Ron Cordova on suspicion of selling and dispensing alcohol without a liquor license, said New Mexico Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson.
But gym 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."
At least one elderly man suffered a panic attack and was taken away by paramedics, Ronald said. A few of the patrons were in the sauna when the raid occurred, and, when their towels fell, they were forced to lie on the floor naked, he said.
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."
One customer was arrested on an outstanding warrant during the raid, and five other customers were issued alcohol-related citations, Olson said, adding that state and local authorities have been cracking down on alcohol violations to curb drunken driving ever since Gov. Bill Richardson took office in 2003.
"The officers were serving a search warrant and the fire marshal was there to inspect the building," Olson said. "Any time there is a situation with a large number of people, officers will employ whatever tactics they need to maintain control of the situation."
The warrant, he said, arose from tips from locals that alcohol was being served at Pride Gym. "Any time agents find someone serving alcohol without a license, it causes concern because those proprietors are operating outside of the law." He said it's inaccurate to characterize Saturday night's event as a 'raid,' and maintained that officers were not out of bounds.
Regarding allegations of a female officer taking pictures of a patron and laughing, Olson had no comment.
Community leaders are asking how such an incident could happen and whether gay men were unfairly targeted by law enforcement.
Alexis Blizman, executive director of Equality New Mexico, acknowledged the state's aggressive alcohol-enforcement policy, but said the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups are investigating whether the raid went beyond protocol.
"The first question is, was it (Pride Gym) targeted because it caters to gay customers?" Blizman said. "Then we will take a very hard look to see if there were any civil rights violations, and if there were, we will be dealing with them."
After the raid, the fire marshal's office ordered the building closed, citing "numerous fire code violations."
Peter Simonson, executive director of the New Mexico ACLU, said his preliminary research shows the raid was "extremely aggressive and reckless."
"Our concern is the policy of cracking down on alcohol violations is giving police a pretext to target businesses they don't like," Simonson said. "There is a strong sense in the LGBT community that (law enforcement) was targeting gays and that it feels a little like a witch hunt."
Simonson said the ACLU is urging the fire marshal to allow the gym to reopen after minor changes to its zoning certification with the city, and is determining if there was a significant violation of civil liberties.
"We were committing no crimes, and not one of us treated the police with any disrespect," Ronald said. "If they (the police) were trying to prevent drunk driving, why didn't they target the art gallery where I went earlier that night? They were serving wine."
Olson said art galleries serving alcohol had been the focus of similar enforcement in the past, and now employ professional bartenders to serve wine.
However, he said he was not aware of incidents where gallery patrons were forced to lie on the ground at gunpoint.
