The owner of LGBT+ leather and Levis bar, Baltimore Eagle, says a ‘SWAT’ team in ‘black body armor’ raided his premises over claims it was breaching COVID-19 rules.
The Baltimore Eagle has been part of the LGBT+ scene in the city in Maryland, USA, for three decades. But Eagle owner Ian Parrish told the Washington Blade that the authorities used excessive force in the raid on 7 August.
Moreover, he claims people working in a competing LGBT+ venue sparked the raid. He says the allegations they made against the Eagle were false.
When officials arrived, Parrish says he asked to take their temperature. He told them the precaution ‘is part of our COVID-19 protocols for all people entering the premises’.