An unannounced police and State Liquor Authority inspection at the Eagle, a "leather and Levis" gay bar in Chelsea, in the midst of celebrations over the legalization of gay marriage is raising eyebrows about the timing of the raid.
“In typical New York City Police Department fashion, the N.Y.P.D. demonstrated its disrespect for the gay community by raiding the Eagle mere moments after the passage of most important piece of gay rights legislation in history," said veteran gay rights activist Allen Roskoff. The police maintain the inspection was part of a routine operation planned weeks ago under a program known as MARCH, or multiagency response to community hot spots. The Eagle has been the subject of several noise complaints from the surrounding community, and the inspection lead to six violations being issued to the bar, for things like noise and a lack of a public assembly permit.
There have long been rumors in the gay community that every year, gay bars are singled out by the cops on the Friday before pride. "This one was ill-conceived and ill-timed given the circumstances surrounding the marriage equality celebration, on Pride week," said Manhattan borough President Scott Stringer, who is requesting a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the raid.
