Multiple clubs closed as NYPD try to alieviate their weekend boredom. Spirit and Avalon among those targeted.

Where would you rather be on a friday night? Chasing a killer through the Ghetto? Confronting a rapist in a dark alley? Preventing tourists from being mugged and beaten? Stopping terrorists from attacking our friends and familly? or hitting the clubs for some easier action? Yes New Yorks finest have done it again, instead of fighting real crime they have gone after a couple of soft targets in order to get a headline or two and a nice pat on the back from politicians who answer to bad parents who are incapable of keeping their sprogs in line. Once again we the nightlife enjoying public suffer as a result.

On Friday night around 10pm while the hard working employees of 5 Chelsea clubs were busy cleaning glasses for the impending rush of clubbers, the fuzz went into action piling through the doors of popular nightspots like a swarm of Roaches. Clubs Deep, View, Splash, Spirit and Avalon were all raided and closed. Why? well it seems cops witnessed assaults, bought drugs and were offered sex for money. Crap they better close Times Square, followed by Central Park, Battery Park, the length of Broadway, Union Square, the subways... actually might as well shut down the entire city.

So the NYPD has won a major battle in their war on Terror... I mean Clubs... I mean Drugs... but that is only the start of the mess because those clubs they closed just happened to cater largely to the Gay community. View and Splash are gay bars the others are Gay friendly two other establishments a nightclub called Speed and a gay-friendly gym known as Steel Gym were slapped with restraining orders. Both major gay hangouts, so now much to the embarrasment of the city hall spoilsports the ACLU are now getting involved. Now I'm not the biggest fan of the ACLU, I think they are totally over the top when it comes to most of their issues and I'm part of the sun burning beer swilling Irish ethnic minority.

However, in this case I'm delighted the 'Civies' are sticking their noses in, it's about time somebody stood up for the taxpayers who enjoy not going to bed straight after 'Law and order' but instead spend their nights filling up the state coffers by having a couple of drinks and a little dance while paying for the employment of a lot of people.

In response to a lot of people obviously being upset our darling Police force has come out with this silly claim, to quote their statement: "Although it's difficult to prove, detectives believe that club operators will allow 'house dealers,' or drug dealers they know to operate freely inside the club for a cut of the proceeds," Of course it's difficult to prove because it's a total fabrication! Most of these clubs work their butts off to keep the establishments clean and the dealers out. Well a couple of bartenders were busted for selling drugs as part of the raid? "Big swing of Ray kelly's ****" so what? a couple of dealers infiltrate the clubs staff? Can't be as bad a Mafia hitmen on the police payroll.

Further embarrassment followed when the law discovered that these venues actually provided a public service. Columbia University was due to hold a function this Wednesday at Avalon which has had to be cancelled. While a judge has intervened to allow a Friday Cancer benefit and a Sunday AIDs fundraiser to go ahead in Spirit. Way to go NYPD...