Updated May 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM to include full statement from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.
Full statement from P Town Bar:
“Dear LGBTQ+ Community, Allies, and Valued Patrons,
We apologize for the delay in addressing the events of this past Friday. It’s been an overwhelming few days!
During our Another Party event featuring Amanda Lepore, P Town underwent a surprise inspection by a joint task force that included officers from the LCP, State Police, Fire Department, and Health Department. Per my understanding these inspections — typically led by the LCP — are part of an efforts to ensure establishments remain in compliance with PLCB regulations. While we’re still unsure why P Town was chosen that evening, we’re choosing to view this as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
When the officers arrived, we were asked to pause the event and have guests step outside while the inspection was carried out. The officers acted professionally, to my knowledge, no patrons were mistreated.
Most importantly, we want to reaffirm our commitment to making P Town a vibrant, inclusive, and safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone who joins us. This has always been—and will always be—our top priority.
Second, the inspection brought to light a few areas where we need to make improvements. We are committed to working diligently to comply with all city, county, and state regulations. Regarding our occupancy limit— many of you know we completed renovations during the COVID shutdown and had been awaiting an updated permit from the city. We thought the delay was pandemic-related, but we will make a more proactive effort. If there are any architects or professionals experienced in permitting or code compliance willing to assist, your support would be immensely appreciated.
Third, we want to thank our incredible staff and performers for their calm, professionalism, and grace under pressure. Special thanks to our talented drag performers who kept the spirit alive in spite of the disruption. For ticket holders who were unable to re-enter, please reach out to Indica for a refund or to exchange your tickets for a future event.
We are also deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from the community. Your kind messages, offers of help, and solidarity have meant so much.
Pittsburgh, we love you. Thank you for standing by us. We look forward to welcoming you back to P Town.
With heartfelt gratitude,
The P Town Team“
Statement from Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.
“On the evening of Friday, May 2, members of Pittsburgh’s Nuisance Bar Task Force (NBTF) conducted an unannounced compliance check at P*Town, a popular gay bar in Bloomfield. I have since heard from many members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies who have questions and concerns about this action that I want to address.
I want first to acknowledge the way in which bar raids were used historically to harass and commit violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. It was not so long ago that police raids on gay bars were routine, and it was one such raid, at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, that sparked the modern movement to establish safe places for people to be open about their gender and sexuality without fear of arrest. It is my intent that our actions as a city build upon, rather than undermine, that legitimate desire for safety.
The NBTF, which our Bureau of Police oversees, is made up of representatives from our Police Bureau, the Fire Bureau, the Department of Permits, Licenses, & Inspections, the Allegheny County Health Department, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and the Liquor Control Enforcement division of the Pennsylvania State Police. It was formed to allow the city to identify and mitigate hazards that can be caused by overcrowding, serving alcohol to minors, unsafe facilities, and other building and health code violations. It is not intended to intimidate or cause harm to patrons.
In the case of P*Town, Saturday’s compliance check was driven by a report to the city’s Bureau of Fire, specifically asking for a check on overcrowding; inspectors found that the bar, with an occupancy permit for 70, had 133 people inside. Liquor Control Enforcement, PLI and the Allegheny County Health Department identified a handful of additional violations.
As Mayor, I want to ensure that patrons are not exposed to risk. This is our responsibility, and we need to enforce our safety rules.
However, we need to be thoughtful about the fear that the sudden appearance of multiple armed officers can cause. We also need to have safeguards in place that ensure that NBTF complaints cannot be used to target vulnerable populations. I’ve asked PBP Acting Chief Martin Devine and Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt to review not only this incident but the operation of the task force more broadly to ensure that we do our work with the greatest sensitivity to historical trauma and that we put any additional safeguards in place so that the process cannot be manipulated to harass any of our residents.
Not only are they prepared to do this work, but they plan to participate in an upcoming discussion about their findings and how we can better address these incidents with the City’s LGBTQIA+ Commission. I take personal responsibility for ensuring that our City Services are equitable and we will continue to work to build trust and prioritize the safety of our most marginalized residents.“
Original article.
What was supposed to be a joyful night of queer celebration turned into a moment of surreal disruption on Friday when P Town Bar, a beloved LGBTQ establishment in Pittsburgh, was “raided” by approximately 20 Pennsylvania State Police officers and undercover agents during a drag event hosted by local drag icon Indica and featuring legendary guest Amanda Lepore.
The event, Another Party Pittsburgh, had just hit its stride when the police entered around 11:30 PM, mid-performance, as drag artist Blade Matthews took the stage. And not just with any number: Blade was in the middle of a theatrical rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. With the room captivated and the song in full swing, law enforcement had to stand back and wait.
“Blade literally chose the longest song ever and made the cops wait,” said one attendee. “It was iconic.”
Once the performance wrapped, officers instructed patrons and performers to exit the venue. According to attendees, the police offered little explanation beyond calling it a “compliance check,” but the scale and timing of the action left many shaken and deeply skeptical.
“It was an LCB raid taken to the extreme,” Indica told QBurgh. “We waited 30 minutes outside for them to inspect every crevice.” The officers in witness videos appear to be from the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was not part of the inspection.
In true drag fashion, Indica pivoted to performance-as-resistance. With the crowd displaced and the venue swarmed with law enforcement, she took to the street for an a cappella rendition of Pink Pony Club. The crowd joined in, turning the sidewalk into a spontaneous moment of queer solidarity.
“Queer people banded together and showed we are so much stronger than an attempt to make us scared or comply with their rules,” Indica said.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that only about 70 people, including staff and performers, were allowed back inside after the inspection. Many noted that officers refused to make eye contact with the queens inside, though interactions with the crowd were described as mostly calm. Some attendees questioned agents directly, asking why “raids” like this don’t happen at straight bars in the South Side or places like Tequila Cowboy. Those comments, reportedly, were ignored.
Adding a surreal twist, Indica reported that officers recognized Amanda Lepore and asked for selfies while the crowd was still forced to wait outside. Lepore, who rose to fame in New York’s club scene and lived through the era of outlaw parties and frequent police crackdowns, allegedly remarked that this was the first time she’d actually witnessed a “raid” mid-event, calling the night “iconic” in a darkly nostalgic sense.
While the situation was tense and confusing, multiple attendees praised the calm, grounded leadership shown by event host Indica and P Town Bar’s staff, many of whom worked quietly behind the scenes to keep the space as safe and emotionally steady as possible.
“I was very proud of how Indica and bar staff handled the situation and ensured patrons’ safety and nerves during the process,” said Corey Dunbar, who was working security at P Town last night. “Many people were shaken up after the raid was over.”
Whether comforting shaken-up patrons, singing in the rain, or simply refusing to let the night end in fear, P Town’s crew turned a potential trauma into a testament of queer resilience.
One witness, who asked to remain anonymous, described the scene as “jarring” and excessive.
“The raid was a jarring experience in 2025. Dozens of state police, geared up with bulletproof vests, flooded the bar and told us to get out. None of the officers would explain what was happening. We stood in the rain for maybe 30 minutes or so until most patrons were let back in. Fortunately the situation was calm and orderly, but they really just overtook this queer space with an entire fleet of police to ‘count heads’ or whatever their excuse was.”
According to the State Police, the action was led by the Allegheny County Nuisance Bar Task Force, including Pittsburgh Police, the District Attorney’s office, the State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, among others.
The City of Pittsburgh did not initiate the complaint that led to the action but the City is working to determine where it originated. Mayor Gainey’s administration is looking into whether complaints and enforcement are being disproportionately directed at LGBTQ, Black, and Brown spaces.
According to the State Police, the bar was over capacity with 130 people in a space permitted for 70.
Despite the interruption, the night became a moment of resistance, solidarity, and improvisational beauty. It reminded everyone there that drag isn’t just entertainment, it’s political. And when the music stops, the queens don’t.
They just take the stage wherever they need to, even if it’s the street.
