Black Cat Bar Raid

From Tangents Group

Press Release regarding the Raid of the Black Cat Bar
New Year’s Eve, 1966
by the Tavern Guild of Southern California,
dated January 5, 1967

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today 16 Los Angeles citizens appeared in court (Div. 59) to enter pleas to charges resulting from a police mass arrest at a bar located at 3909 Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. The bar has been open approximately 2 months. The arrests took place New Year's eve (January 1, 1967) and were made by a large goup of police officers. About 12 vice-squad officers (plainclothesmen) started beating patrons to the floor about 5 minutes after midnight. They did not identify themselves except by their weapons. After beating the patrons, the 16 to be arrested were laid face down on the sidewalk outside the bar. 5 patrol cars, containing 2 uniformed officers each, were brought from a near-by side street where they had been parked for sometime and the individuals arrested were taken to the newly opened Rampart St. Police Station. 3 bartenders were among those arrested.

Officers then went to a second bar, at 4001 Sunset Blvd., attacked the lady bar owner and the bar's manager and bartender, who came to her aid. The owner and manager were not arrested, although the manager was left on the sidewalk bleeding. The bartender was so badly beaten that he is still in County General Hospital, where he has undergone an operation to remove his ruptured spleen. He had gone 2 hours before being sent to the hospital. He was finally booked on a felony charge of assaulting an officer.

Attorney for the defendants is Los Angeles attorney Ray L. Smith.
For further information, contact Mr. Smith at 125 West 4th St., Suite 635, or at MA 62327.
Tavern Guild of Southern California
11012 Ventura Blvd., North Hollywood, Calif.

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