10/10/07

By KRYSTEL ROLLE, Guardian Staff Reporter

krystel@nasguard.com

Members of the Rainbow Alliance are expected to meet with senior police officers before the end of the week to discuss their concerns and determine exactly who authorized the "raids" of the homosexual parties last weekend.

According to Erin Greene, spokesperson for the group, the rights of gays and lesbians in The Bahamas have been trampled on and she intends to find out who is responsible. This promise follows reports that three clubs and one party attended by homosexuals were "raided" last weekend.

According to a source speaking to The Guardian on condition of anonymity, another club was also "raided" by police on Friday. While that club, which had just opened that night, had not established itself to be a "gay club," a large number of homosexuals were outside the establishment mingling.

"Police may have assumed it was a gay club, but that was

the opening night and the club's status has not been determined," the source said.

It was claimed that police entered the club which replaced the old Bahama Boom on Elizabeth Avenue around 1 a.m. The source, who was one of the persons outside the club said to his knowledge no arrests had been made.

This new development comes on the heels of reports that two other gay clubs were raided along with a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender party that attracted more than 100 tourists to the Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday.

However the raid of the party reportedly came as a result of a 911 call by employees of the establishment, according to recent reports.

The officers reportedly also raided the Genesis and Casbar clubs which are in the downtown area. Both clubs were shut down by about 2 a.m., a group of partygoers told The Nassau Guardian on Monday.

"It's obvious that the presence of the police had gone far beyond them determining if any laws had been broken. At a certain point in the evening it was obvious to everyone present that the purpose of them remaining in the building was to shut the party down, even though the patrons and the organizers of the event had broken no laws," one partygoer said, referring to the party at the Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday which was effectively shut down by police officers.

The party, sponsored by Ebony Pyramid Entertainment, was one of the planned events for the patrons of the 8th Annual Black Gay and Lesbian Pride Cruise, which travels to Nassau and Paradise Island for the Columbus Day weekend every year.

According to several persons who attended the party the group of about eight police officers "busted in" the party just after 1 a.m. carrying video cameras. They did not leave until the party was shut down.

Members of the Homosexual community believe that they were being targeted as a result of the "raids".