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What began as “an ordinary night out” at an East Liberty after-hours club, one observer said, finished in panic, commotion and even blood shed.
Shorly before 5am, February 14, state Liquor Control Board enforcement agents, fire officials and detectives with the vice and narcotics squad entered Travelers Club and instructed everyone to remain in the premises until inspection ended.
“There must have been 20 people who came in, and they never identified themselves,” said Lucky, owner of the club. “They just threw on the lights, told everyone to stay where they were, and very slowly went through. They later said they were searching for narcotics and weapons.”
Within an hour, Lucky reported, violence occurred and caused multiple injuries to at least one patron (Jeff Howells) who was subsequently arrested on charges of simple assault and resisting arrest. City police arrested three other men, one who’s under 21, on the same charges.
“From the time police came in and even after they left, the whole thing was a nightmare,” the owner said less than 12 hours after the raid. “In all my years of being in the bar business — 30 years — I’ve never known anything so oppressive to happen.”
Officials held Lucky for interrogation until after 8am, “without identifying them selves.” Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Mellott, who participated in the raid, reported to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the fire department appeared for “no more than a legal building inspection, something we do on a regular basis. This time we found multiple violations.”
Lucky, who denies any fault in the building’s wiring, recounted for Out the “Gestapo tactics” enforced by law officers that morning. Apart from verbally attacking many of the 185 customers, the plainclothesmen physically abused some by “smacking them and poking them” with clubs. (No one from the LCB was available for comment to Out.)
Howells sustained injuries to the head when one officer struck him repeatedly with a blackjack. Moments later, as he was handcuffed and escorted to an awaiting police van, blood covered his face.
“I didn’t assault anybody or resist anything,” said Howells, who had arrived at the club at 2:30am. “I was scared to death…and confused.”
According to Howells, he was descending the staircase to the first floor when a scuffle broke out in front of him. He moved to avoid the upset when an officer struck him on the head.
Seconds later, Howells fell and caught his leg in the staircase railing. The same officer struck him twice more and pushed him over the bannister.
“That’s when this guy put handcuffs on me, another put me in a van, and I was taken to the hospital.”
Howells—in addition to men identifying themselves only as Dale, Rick and John—were arraigned and released on a $2,000 bond. At presstime, a hearing had been scheduled for the end of February.
“We can’t allow this sort of abuse to happen in our community,” Lucky stressed. “The guys picked up on assault charges did nothing to deserve what the police put them through. They’re trying to pass this off as a routine inspection, but it was nothing of the kind. People were abused, injured…I was accused of violating laws when I violated no laws.”
Among the after-hours rules Lucky said he abided were the occupancy rule, which states that no more than 375 patrons may be present.
“The Liquor Control Board,” he said, “insists that no alcohol may be served after 3am, although a club is permitted to remain open. Nobody was behind the bar—nobody was selling.”
The Out deadline fell one week before a February 22 community meeting at Travelers and the preliminary hearing for all four men arrested during February 14’s raid. Next month, look for an article focusing on the hearing outcome and a view of how Pittsburgh’s gay public responded.)
