MISSOULA, Mont. — Uniformed Missoula Police officers David McClusky and Gerald Schmidt arrived 15 minutes before the opening act at the unlicensed venue The Gnarhouse on Thursday in a heartwarming show of support for their local punk scene, witnesses confirmed.
“My crew has been down with the bands on tonight’s show for the last five years or so. These guys are local legends. We can’t stress enough how much we love this scene,” said Officer McClusky, confiscating a 24-pack of beer. “We’re not only here for the music, but also for all the dudes in the community.”
As audience members trickled in, many had positive things to say about the officers presence at the show. Emphasizing how “down for the scene” they were, showgoer Brendan Anderson recalled a time when Ofc. Schmidt bought him a 40-oz. Budweiser before he was old enough to buy it himself.
“He was real cool about it — told me not to worry, and that he’d let me know when he needed something in return later,” said Anderson, who celebrated his 21st birthday last week. “I’m not exactly sure what that means… but he’s a police officer, so it probably will just be, like, helping out with community service, or something like that.”
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However, Ashley Simmons, the leaseholder for the Gnarhouse, stressed that the police are not a welcome presence.
“Those guys go way too hard in the pit. I saw McClusky throw some kid through a wall last week,” Simmons said, between nervous puffs on a cigarette. “They’re the types of dudes that start crowd-killing before the band even starts paying. Schmidt nearly blew some kids fingers off last month when he was throwing fireworks all over the place during a show. I never thought I’d say this, but I kinda hope the Staties show up.”
Shortly after Shit Filth, the openers for the night, began their set, fire marshals shut down the show, citing occupancy limits and safety hazards.
“Those fire guys are such fucking dweebs,” said Ofc. McClusky from his squad car. “Hardcore shows are the only place we can blow off some steam without having to worry about someone posting it online. The show is moving over the Attic down on 5th ave., so we’re going to head over there and smash some heads.”
Photo by Kyle Erf @KyleErf.