Media Trail

New Orleans cops targeted gays, blacks

Advocate. com reports the New Orleans Police Department is under fire for systemic misconduct, with charges that officers used excessive force and targeted black and gay residents.

A 10-month analysis by the Department of Justice indicates police had singled out gay and lesbian residents for unjustified stops, arrests and harassment. Additionally, the analysis showed 500 African-American males older than age 17 were arrested in 2009 while only eight white males were arrested during the year. In the 27 instances in which an officer intentionally fired a weapon at someone, all 27 individuals were black.

Justice officials said at a March 18 press conference that they would work with the city to help change the police department, which has been in decline since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Senate committee backs overturning gay policy

KULR8 [Billings, Mont.] reports the Montana Senate Local Government Committee has backed a proposal to overturn a Missoula city ordinance that protects gay people from discrimination.

House Bill 516 has already passed the House and will go to the Senate floor next.

Lawmakers spoke heatedly for and against the measure March 18 before the committee’s approval.

Supporters believe Missoula’s ordinance is unconstitutional because it goes beyond a city’s local authority.

Opponents say the bill is targeted against the gay community and would meddle with a local government’s right to govern itself.

Ft. Worth may settle gay bar raid suit

The Houston Chronicle reports the city of Ft .Worth is expected to pay nearly half a million dollars to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who suffered a severe head injury in a gay bar raid.

The City Council is set to vote on the $400,000 settlement with Chad Gibson. He claims excessive force was used during the Rainbow Lounge raid in 2009.

The agenda item says the settlement’s approval should not be considered as admission of the city’s liability, but would avoid time-consuming and costly litigation.

After the raid, three Ft. Worth police officers were suspended, and two Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents and a supervisor were later fired. But both agencies’ investigations determined no excessive forced was used.

The city later dropped all charges against Gibson and three others arrested that night.

— Larry Nichols

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