Liquor Board pauses ‘lewd’ conduct enforcement, participation with Seattle cops
Washington state’s Liquor and Cannabis Board will no longer participate with the City of Seattle’s Joint Enforcement Team, they announced Thursday evening in a press release.
The board made several temporary changes after national backlash to the agency’s participation in what some have called “raids” on queer bars on Seattle’s Capitol Hill over last weekend.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Joint Enforcement Team visited four queer spaces unannounced. It was part of an emphasis on 18 venues, including hookah lounges and food vendors.
RELATED: Seattle gay bar could be cited for possible ‘exposure of a male nipple’
Director Will Lukela said in a press release that during a board meeting Wednesday and in private conversations, they heard pushback on their actions.
“The community also stressed the value of these clubs as a safe place for people who often face discrimination, threats, and violence,” Lukela said. “Message received.”
At the heart of the controversy was the JET team, which includes Seattle Police and Seattle Fire, talking to a bartender at Cuff about an exposed male nipple.
Effective immediately, the board said they’ll make the following changes:
- Pause their lewd conduct enforcement, as their board considers any changes or any legislative modifications that might be made this session
- Suspend their participation with Seattle’s Joint Enforcement Team
- Won’t issue citations or violations related to alleged lewd conduct from last weekend’s unannounced visits
- Staff will propose to open rulemaking to review, amend or repeal the lewd conduct regulations. The board will vote on this at their meeting on Feb. 14.
- Work with legislators, especially the LGBTQ caucus, to find “solutions that further their mutual efforts”
- Review their past practices and policies based on recent complaints, including those about photographs being used as evidence
- Engage with LGBTQ community leaders as the board makes these changes
