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(Albuquerque, New Mexico) The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has begun interviewing patrons of an Albuquerque gay club raided earlier this month by police.
The ACLU and LGBT group Equality New Mexico say the civil rights of the 30 or so people in the Pride Gym may have been violated.
Officers allegedly were wearing bullet proof vests and armed with semiautomatic weapons when the entered the bathhouse.
At least two patrons say police used excessive force. (story)
One man said that armed police ordered people, some naked, into hallways and told them to lie facedown where they were handcuffed.
A second man confirmed the report saying that some of those handcuffed were in their 70s.
Police say that it is customary to handcuff people during a police investigation for the safety of the officers. But the warrant police used to enter the club says that officers were concerned about their personal safety and the possibility of sexual assault as a result of a weeklong undercover investigation.
"Sending us into this place again puts us or any other undercover officer in danger of sexual assault and or great bodily harm or injury," the request for a warrant said.
Equality New Mexico wants to know what kind of weapon could be hidden under a towel or how police were afraid of being sexually assaulted by elderly men.
Five people, including the club manager were charged with minor liquor violations.
Police took the club's computer containing a complete list of members and the club's video surveillance tapes. That also is of concern to the ACLU because of individual privacy concerns.
Fire officials then closed the club. Pride Gym has since reopened with new signs more clearly showing fire exits.
ACLU attorney George Bach said its initial investigation points to excessive force being used by police.
©365Gay.com 2006
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