“Ask to see someone’s ID before you take them home”

Would you go home with someone who asked to see your ID first?

In response to old gay men being roofied at Castro bars and then robbed, that’s an actual suggestion from the San Francisco police department. Ask to see some ID.

Another suggestion from Sgt. Chuck Limbert:

Bartenders and businesses should be mindful of those who have clearly had too much to drink; hail them a cab, or at the very least ask them if they are okay.

Most bartenders and bouncers handle drunk people by simply kicking them out. Now they’re being asked to take care of them. They’re supposed to get them cabs. And not just call them a cab, bartenders need to go outside and hail them a cab! Only in San Francisco does the police department work to make someone else’s bad decision (getting drunk) or bad luck (getting roofied) someone else’s responsibility.

Meanwhile, SF Weekly talks about the alleged criminals:

It seems there have been too many instances laltely [sic] in which older gay men are being targeted by (straight) criminals who are coming into gay bars, flirting with men, and then robbing them after they take them home.

The fuck? They don’t frame that as a quote from the officer, so I’m assuming that’s just SF Weekly’s theory? How do they know the criminals are straight? We’re supposed to assume that just because they don’t have sex with their victims and just because they are thieves, they are straight? Gay people don’t steal?!

More on Sgt. Limbert:

As a gay man and resident of the Castro himself, Limbert decided to alert the community of these nefarious crimes, none of which are happening at any particular bar. He met with a local merchants group and offered tips to help stop gay men from becoming victims. […] Patrons should also be aware of who they are mingling with — ask to see someone’s ID before you take them home, and if you can, jot down their driver’s license number before you two go home together, Limbert said.

And only in San Francisco does the police department give you tips on how to take home a trick. Thank you, Sgt. Limbert. Of course, let’s hope that the thief won’t steal the piece of paper (or the phone) you jotted the driver’s license number down on. That’s assuming you have the nerve to ask someone to see their driver’s license in the first place.

Sgt. Chuck Limbert, the LGBT liaison for the Mission District, tells us that one victim recently called him to report an incident where he was drinking at a Castro bar when a really good-looking man walked in and bought him a drink. The two began talking and after some time, the hottie suggested they go home together, Limbert said.

“[The victim] said he wasn’t making good decisions, that his vision was blurry and he didn’t know what was going on,” Limbert said.  The two went to the victim’s apartment, where he started vomiting. When he came out of the bathroom, the suspect grabbed the man’s computer and demanded the victim’s password. When the man refused to give it to him, the suspect hit him, and the victim ran out of the apartment, screaming.”

Watch out! It’s a scary world out there for the gays. A world in which really good-looking men will buy you drinks. But, all they really want are your computers. Ask to see some ID. Hope that the bartender will protect you. Pray that flirtatious straight men aren’t going to take advantage of you every time you leave the house and that your life isn’t just one big trap full of password-crazed “hotties” (really, SF Weekly? Limbert used the word “hottie”?). You are better off just never leaving the house, ever. (You are also better off never reading SF Weekly.)

 

[SF Weekly: Gay Men Being Drugged, Robbed In Castro, Cops Say]

 

4 thoughts on ““Ask to see someone’s ID before you take them home””

  1. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t hook up when you’re high or drunk like a skunk. Oh, and don’t accept candy … uhm, drinks from strangers. And don’t talk to creepy stangers (but clean cut Sean Cody models, like Addison, are perfectly fine).

    Better save than sorry.

    1. Think this advice totally rocks…why shouldnt you know the name of man who is about to kill ya? Id take this a step further..scan the dudes ID on your smart phone..back it up on google..think of the millions of tax payers money saved on police investigations. Shit, just think about it..folks protecting themselves from being robbed or killed..by just doing a simple upload..it makes total fuckin sense to me. Folks, if your bar pick up aint willing to share his ID with ya..it should clearly be a red flag. Just saying….Mike

  2. I always followed the advice of John Waters: “If you go home with somebody, and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ’em!”.

  3. You should always be on the defense when communicating with strangers in a situation where drugs and alcohol are in constant play.
    Though I doubt you are actually promoting the converse attitude of trusting anyone you meet in Castro, I’m sure the point of this post was just to play devil’s advocate.

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