Bijou blow out

Kyle Rae is changing his ways.

Two weeks ago, the downtown city councillor was saying police were just doing their jobs during two raids on the Bijou, saying that coppers were looking for liquor licence infractions – and that they expected to find the theatre’s patrons “munching on popcorn.”

But now Rae is “pissed off.”

“They failed to comply with community policing,” he says, since

seven more men have been charged with committing seven more of those indecent acts.

Asked if he was consulted by police in advance – as he was with

the Black Eagle’s backroom hassles WHEN? – Rae says he had no idea anything was up with the Bijou.

“No,” he insists.

“I am real pissed off that this has happened. I have a whole host of better things for my police officers to do.

“They did not discuss this matter ahead of time. I have a whole

host of other issues that the police could be working on. There have been no complaints – no complaints to my office about the operations of the Bijou. No complaints from the neighbourhood. So what is driving this?”

But he doesn’t have an answer, and when he’s asked why he hasn’t been critical of police until now, he says he has been – but has been misrepresented by Xtra.

“Yes I have,” he says. “I’m very upset with the police. I would…

Why would… You know…. um… You just keep going. I was about to

editorialize about the incompetence of Xtra, but you go ahead….

“I’m not going to get into it. It’s a waste of time.”

On more pressing matters, such as the 19 men facing criminal sex

charges for their consensual acts, Rae says he has been in touch with “several.”

And he says no dicks were being sucked.

“They said nothing was going on, that they’re innocent, that they

have been charged with an indecent act, and they were not involved with an indecent act, and they’re getting lawyers. And I’d like the charges dropped.”

Told that Det Sgt Doug Singleton said his officers would have no other choice but to arrest patrons at baths with liquor licences if they happened across a dick being sucked, Rae dismisses the notion.

“That’s his interpretation of the Criminal Code,” Rae says, “and

that would end up being in court.”

But then he’s quick to add that another bathhouse bust would never

happen.

“If the baths are operated properly, and I think most of them are

operated properly, the police would not find that in the public areas of the bathhouse. Areas that are licensed are public areas. I don’t think the rooms are licensed.”

But if the undercover folks were at the Bijou to inspect the wet theatre’s licence, then they obviously had to physically pass the bar to get to the action on the world-famous slurp ramp, and the glory holes, and other sundry nooks and crannies.

The bar has been closed since Canada Day.

“I know that while I was away on holiday that there was an incident

again. I don’t know what [owner] Craig [Anderson]’s doing, but I don’t know why he’s closed. I can understand that it may be difficult, what’s happened, but my conversations with the police and [Spa Excess principal] Peter Bochove were trying to sort it out so that it can remain open.”