Two police officers out of St. Louis, Missouri crashed a police car into an LGBTQ+ bar on December 18 of last year. After the bar owners confronted the policemen, both were detained without cause and one arrested and charged with assault. Married gay couple Chad Morris and James Pence run the facility, Bar: PM. Morris’ felony charges have since been demoted to a misdemeanor, and he is due in court shortly.
The two probation officers, ages 32 and 22, remain unnamed and were described as aggressive by Morris and Pence. The former was allegedly beaten by one of the policemen as well. The officers originally claimed they swerved to prevent hitting a dog, but later contradicting narratives, claiming it was to avoid a parked car, causing the car to lose control and hit the building. However, the video evidence suggests otherwise.
In the footage, the marked SUV is speeding at night on an empty street and suddenly crashes into the bar on the other side of the road. “The police department has made no statements. They haven’t told us if the officers were drug tested or alcohol tested,” says Javad Khazaeli, a St. Louis civil rights attorney. Khazaeli added that the St. Louis police department has experienced multiple instances of officers found intoxicated while on duty in the past.
The lack of transparency and communication between the community and the police is startling. However, this incident has highlighted the camaraderie among members of the St. Louis LBGTQ+ population. Community members came together, making efforts to help clean up the bar which was heavily damaged.
