Police search Urge looking for gun, find nothing

'I felt like I was in a Law and Order episode'

Police temporarily stopped the night’s proceedings at Urge early in the morning of Feb 19, looking for a man with a gun, according to Dave Dickinson, a sergeant with Toronto police’s 51 Division.

Police received a call claiming that someone at Urge, a Church St sex club, was carrying a handgun in their sweater. They responded around midnight, Dickinson says, and searched the premises. Police did not find a gun, and no one was arrested. People were allowed to continue their night’s activities after police left.

A commenter on the cruising site squirt.org posted a more vivid account: “All the lights came on. There were at least eight cops. Everyone was told to stand against the north wall, palms flat and legs spread — lot of yelling and they had rifles drawn — felt like I was in a L&O episode,” it reads. “Cops did a search of entire place, flipped stools, chairs and fire escapes, patted down a few guys that fit description, and explained what was going on and apologized for inconvenience.”

Urge owner Dave Cook says that, while the incident was scary, police conducted themselves in a professional manner throughout. “I’m always looking out for homophobic remarks, but I didn’t hear anything like that,” he says.

As for the police tip that started it all, he chalks it up to sour grapes. “From what I can see, it looked like someone not handling a rejection very well and calling in a complaint to the police on his way out,” says Cook. He hopes police can track the call and pursue the man for mischief.

After the incident, a handful of patrons left immediately. They were offered free passes to return on another night, says Cook.

Marcus McCann

Marcus McCann is an employment and human rights lawyer, member of Queers Crash the Beat, and a part owner of Glad Day Bookshop. Before becoming a lawyer, he was the managing editor of Xtra in Toronto and Ottawa.

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