Fridae

The Gay and Lesbian community of Sydney is reeling after more than 300 police officers raided five Sydney nightclubs shortly after 1 am on Sunday morning.

DCM and NV on Oxford Street Darlinghurst, the Embassy on Cross Street Double Bay, and ep1 and Zen in Kings Cross have all been closed down for 72 hours, after the simultaneous raids, in which police obtained drugs from each premises.

National media outlets have inaccurately identified a number of the clubs involved as ?popular gay venues,? despite the fact that none of the clubs raided enjoy a significant gay and lesbian following.

In the past six months of this election year eight other clubs have been individually subjected to raids, five of these previous operations have involved Oxford Street premises.

Following the most recent raids, City East Region Commander Dick Adams announced he ?will be applying to the licensing court to close four of those five premises permanently...The owners of these clubs must now show cause as to why they should be allowed to remain in business.?

The raids were the culmination of an eight month long operation, including undercover police officers buying drugs from dealers. White powder believed to be cocaine, a large number of ecstasy tablets, and quantities of marijuana were retrieved according to the police media unit.

According to patrons, club entrances were sealed, lights turned on and music turned off. Patrons were only allowed to leave in fours and fives after being examined by specially trained sniffer dogs. Those who drew the attention of the sniffer dogs were searched. As a result 18 people were charged with drug related offences.

Almost immediately graffiti appeared on the doors of DCM, with slogans of contempt such as, ?you have destroyed our paradise,? alongside the tags of a number of notorious Sydney gangs.

Sergeant Matt O?Neil, the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO) for Surry Hills local area command, commented that many gay and lesbian people felt they had ?lost their sense of community,? and ?the feel on Oxford Street had dramatically changed.? He said many people had communicated to him a need to ?re-evaluate the way they socialized.?

The long-term impact of the weekend?s events is yet to be seen, but the feeling in the area is one of trepidation. Rumors about ongoing police presence, and the impact on the public perception of the community are running wild.

Out on Sunday, usually one of Oxford Streets busiest nights, one party goer said, there was ?no one out at all, it was just dead?I went out for a drink and there was no one there.?

Police Commissioner Peter Ryan has stated, ?We are having a real impact on dismantling drug networks throughout the city.?

In reality the real dismantling impact has been upon the gay and lesbian community?s sense of unity and freedom. The heart of our community has been shaken, and for the time being at least, people are staying away.