Owners of New Bedford gay bar Le Place look back on 40 years of change the untry and the cy - The New Bedford Light

Contents:

• NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR ATTACK WOUNDS 3
• NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR OWNERS LOOK BACK ON 40 YEARS OF CHANGE THE UNTRY AND THE CY
• TEENAGER ATTACKS THREE MEN AT GAY BAR MASSACHETTS
• GAY BAR ATTACKER SHOOTS HIMSELF
• POLICE VTIGATE ATTACK AT NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR
• LOL GAY BAR’S PATRONS UNEASY AFTER MAYHEM
• NYC MAN SENTENCED FOR VLENT UNPROVOKED ANTI-GAY ATTACK AT BOGA
• MANY UNANSWERED QUTNS GAY BAR ATTACK
• SICKO ON THE LOOSE NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR ATTACK
• INVTIGATOR: SPECT GAY BAR ATTACK SHOT HIMSELF
• TEEN WANTED MASS. GAY BAR ATTACK DI
• NEW BEDFORD ANTI-GAY HATE CRIME

NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR ATTACK WOUNDS 3

On Febary 2, 2006, 18-year-old Jab Robida walked to Puzzl Lounge, a popular New Bedford gay bar, g a fake two drks, he pulled out a hatchet and stck a patron.

NEW BEDFORD — An 18-year-old New Bedford High School dropout walked to Puzzl Lounge late Wednday night and, after nfirmg that was a gay bar, began strikg patrons wh a hatchet and firg a gun, leavg three wound, police alleged attacker, Jab D.

NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR OWNERS LOOK BACK ON 40 YEARS OF CHANGE THE UNTRY AND THE CY

"The bartenr who was workg at Puzzl durg the attack, a gay man who asked to be intified only as Phillip until Mr. "He asked me right away if was a gay bar, " he said.

"Fenway Communy Health Center, which tracks attacks on gays the Bay State, said attacks on homosexuals have creased the wake of the historic lg on gay 2004, hate cints creased 30 percent om 2003, acrdg to the group. Data for last year is not yet Swislow, the executive director of Gay and Lbian Advot and Defenrs Boston, said the attack was all the more shockg bee took place Massachetts, a state nsired pecially gay-iendly.

"It's such a btal remr that even Massachetts, (lbian, gay, transgenr and bisexual) people aren't safe, " she said.

TEENAGER ATTACKS THREE MEN AT GAY BAR MASSACHETTS

“So you would see, like, a librarian who I knew was obvly gay, and therefore was a safe place that I uld s and hang out .

He was 16-years-old when he started sneakg to Puzzl, one of two gay bars a cy where nightlife skews toward fishermen’s taverns and members-only drkg clubs.

GAY BAR ATTACKER SHOOTS HIMSELF

“And then I distctly remember my mom lookg to me, and she's like, 'This is why I don't like you beg gay.

”In his ee time, Everton is helpg create somethg he never had growg up: a dited space for gay, lbian, bisexual and trans people to fd each other and try to build Bedford’s only LGBTQ center — a narrow storeont wh beanbags and a few tabl — closed durg the panmic after seven years operatn.

POLICE VTIGATE ATTACK AT NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR

The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network, a nonprof where Everton volunteers, is planng an 11-room replacement a former homels shelter on Eighth Monday night, the cy uncil took the first step toward approvg $200, 000 for Bedford’s gay bars have all closed, but the Network’s print Andy Pollock said the center n set a new precent for what muny looks like among queer and trans people New Bedford. Le Place was not the first gay bar New Bedford, but is the one that has lasted.

“There’s been hundreds and hundreds of surprise parti, of birthday parti, of engagement parti, ” remembered Lucy, who said she and Pam (who died 2019) didn’t really start out to provi a safe place for the New Bedford gay muny but somehow that’s what their pub beme. They also opened another bar Fairhaven and a travel agency, but was Le Place that evolved to New Bedford’s gay mec.

“Beg the gay muny (myself), they all me to see me, ” lghed Lucy.

LOL GAY BAR’S PATRONS UNEASY AFTER MAYHEM

And beme Gay Cheers, they ll . In the early years, Le Place weathered vandals pullg fire alarms the middle of the night, punks openg their ont door and throwg firecrackers to the bar, someone settg the club on fire g ser smoke damage (New Bedford police solved the arson), and the horrifyg triple shootg and hatchet attack at Puzzl, Le Place’s oime fellow gay bar further up the street the North End. “Bee the gay muny was not accepted.

Nile has more than a few good stori about life a gay bar, cludg on about the big mirrors on the si of the dance floor which she uld see om the DJ booth. It is Nile who puts the purpose of the “tea danc” – which origated the New York Cy gay muny the 1950s and ’60s as a safe place where gay people uld dance and meet whout harassment – to the dishs of tradnal gay culture.

Southast LGBTQ+ rtored the tradn of the tea danc at Le Place several years ago as a homage to the early years of the gay pri stggle. But as tim have changed and LGBTQ+ people have been more accepted and visible, the need for gay bars as a place of refuge has creased. “Yeah, ’s not let’s go to the gay bar, ’s let’s go to Le Place more now, ” she said.

NYC MAN SENTENCED FOR VLENT UNPROVOKED ANTI-GAY ATTACK AT BOGA

NEW BEDFORD, Massachetts (CNN) -- Police on Thursday are seekg a man nnectn wh a gun and hatchet attack at a gay bar New Bedford, south of Boston. ET Wednday and asked if were a gay bar.

"I don't know if 's bee he felt out of place if he wasn't gay, or if 's bee he wanted to actually fd out if he's the right place.

|Teenager Attacks Three Men at Gay Bar Massachetts ADVERTISEMENTFeb. 2 - A teenager armed wh a hatchet and a handgun serly jured three people early Thursday at a gay bar New Bedford, Mass., the police teenager, Jab Robida, was beg sought Thursday night by the police, who issued an arrt warrant chargg him wh three unts each of asslt wh tent to murr, asslt wh a dangero weapon and hate Robida, 18, entered the Puzzl Lounge around midnight, the police said, and asked the bartenr whether was a gay the bartenr told him was, Mr.

MANY UNANSWERED QUTNS GAY BAR ATTACK

Robida orred a shot of liquor, drank , asked if he was a gay bar, orred and drank another shot, and attacked the first bartenr said that Mr.

SICKO ON THE LOOSE NEW BEDFORD GAY BAR ATTACK

A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 17 of the Natnal edn wh the headle: Teenager Attacks Three Men At Gay Bar Massachetts.

An 18-year-old spect a gay bar attack Massachetts shot himself over the weekend a shootout wh Arkansas police officers. Robida, who was wanted on spicn of attackg several members of the New Bedford gay bar, Puzzl last week, turned a gun on himself after shootg and killg a lone police officer durg a route traffic stop on Saturday. Early last Thursday morng, Mr Robida, a high school dropout om New Bedford, walked to Puzzl Lounge that town, orred a drk and asked the bartenr if Puzzl was a gay bar, acrdg to prev reports on.

When told that was a gay bar, he reportedly attacked two men playg pool and another man leavg the rtroom.

INVTIGATOR: SPECT GAY BAR ATTACK SHOT HIMSELF

(AP) — A teenager drsed all black attacked patrons of a gay nightspot here Thursday wh a hatchet and a handgun, police said, woundg three of them before fleeg to the early morng issued a warrant for 18-year-old Jab D. "Obvly, we have a man who's dangero, who's not ratnal, and he has weapons, " said Bristol District Attorney Pl Walsh assailant walked to Puzzl Lounge, a popular gay nightspot this historic seaport, around midnight. He was wearg a black hood sweat shirt and black pants, said the bartenr, who asked to be intified only by his first name, Phillip, bee of ncerns about his own safety while Robida is at flashed an apparently fake ID to the bartenr and orred a drk, Phillip man asked if was a gay bar, and was told was, then orred another drk and walked to the back of the bar where two men were playg pool, the bartenr shoved one of the men to the ground, said Phillip, then pulled a hatchet om his sweat shirt aim off, the bartenr said.

Puzzl is popular wh the lol gay muny and is listed on several Web s offerg rourc to gays and lbians. Stayg closed would amount to givg to homophobia, he said.

TEEN WANTED MASS. GAY BAR ATTACK DI

The recent hate attack on a gay bar New Bedford has creased wars — and generated que a b of dialogue — among patrons of lol gay tablishments. Ctomers and employe at MB Lounge, a gay bar on Grafton Street, exprsed shock that such an explosive crime uld happen this polilly rrect day and age, pecially Massachetts and light of the Supreme Judicial Court’s cisn to reverse the ban on gay marriage. Every once a while, he said, ctomers will get picked up by men posg as homosexuals, only to have to fend off a robbery or have also been ocsnal late-night verbal altertns outsi the former Rage nightclub on Water Street, he migate that, he explaed, those the lol gay muny try to stick together and keep a lookout for anythg — or anyone — awry.

”Ed, another ctomer, said he’s felt that ill will and gay-bashg explaed that he’s been attacked a few tim bee of his sexual orientatn, once by a group of seven men. Robida, 18, the man acced of attackg and serly jurg three men the New Bedford gay bar Puzzl Lounge, he scribed the teenager as mentally unstable and a “screwball. “If you keep pumpg (stuff) like that to people’s heads, will ce a rt, ” he, meanwhile, who was appreciative for the abily to marry his longtime partner last year, said gay-straight relatns have neverthels improved the past , thanks largely to the Supreme Court cisn.

What to KnowA man will spend years behd bars nnectn wh a vlent anti-gay attack agast two men at a Brooklyn boga 2021, prosecutors said.

NEW BEDFORD ANTI-GAY HATE CRIME

4, 2021, si of a boga loted on Broadway Bhwick, a 36-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, were wag for food when the Clemente and the -fendant allegedly ma homophobic slurs toward the victims before the vic attack happened. A man will spend years behd bars nnectn wh a vlent anti-gay attack agast two men at a Brooklyn boga 2021, prosecutors said. 4, 2021, si of a boga loted on Broadway Bhwick, a 36-year-old man and a 29-year-old man, were wag for food when the Clemente and the -fendant allegedly ma homophobic slurs toward the victims.

Clemente and an unapprehend man allegedly then chased the 29-year-old man, before grabbg him and punchg him the face and body, and then stabbg him while makg homophobic slurs. “This vic attack on two nocent victims was an tolerable act of anti-gay vlence, and today’s sentence sends a strong msage that we will vigoroly prosecute anyone who ms a hate crime, " Gonzalez said a statement.

BOSTON — A teenager who allegedly attacked patrons of a gay bar Massachetts wh a hatchet and a gun last week killed his ex-girliend and then himself after a shootout wh police Arkansas last weekend.