Assistant Police Chief Tony Mitchell stated that the raid's timing with Gay Pride Week was unintentional, although the raid sparked complaints and accusations of police harassment from the LGBT community. Witnesses at the bar said police arrested people indiscriminately, and that the crowd considered starting a riot akin to Stonewall. Farmer stated that most of those who had been arrested were not drunk and complained of previous police harassment at Mary's, and Mills recalled having seen patrons lined up against the wall and loaded into a non-ventilated police van; another witness said some of those arrested were assaulted by police and "put in on top of one another." News sources speculated that the TV cameras that arrived shortly after the raid began had been arranged or tipped off, and HPD Police Chief B.K. Johnson was not in Houston at the time of the raid. One news source, KPRC-TV, said the incident "damaged relations with the police and the gay community".