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FORT WORTH — Fairness Fort Worth will again ask City Council members at tonight’s meeting for an independent investigation into a controversial June 28 bar inspection.
The renewed request comes after separate internal investigations by the Fort Worth Police Department and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission concluded that excessive force was not used by Fort Worth officers or alcohol commission agents against patrons of the Rainbow Lounge, a gay bar that had opened days before.While the commission had fired two participating agents and their supervisor for violating numerous policies, Fort Worth police disciplined three officers with unpaid suspensions ranging from one to three days. Fairness Fort Worth has alleged that the Police Department’s internal investigation "failed to look for answers to important questions, did not result in disciplinary actions that are proportional, balanced or fair in relation to the harm caused by the actions of the eight officers involved and did not set a reasonable standard for police accountability going forward."Fort Worth police handed over a copy of their investigation to the Justice Department last month. Carolyn Beck, a spokeswoman for the alcohol commission, said Monday that a copy of the state agency’s use-of-force investigation is also being given to the Justice Department at the request of the FBI.A Justice spokesman would only confirm that the civil rights division has an "open and ongoing investigation into this matter."Tonight’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. — Deanna Boyd
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