James

I guess maybe I can get carried away some times but this is a site that I check every day. I always want to make sure it’s as much on the forefront as possible.

I don’t mean any offense.

James

Almost 24 hours after Atlanta police launched a controversial raid on the Atlanta Eagle, supporters of the popular gay leather bar gathered at the club to show their support and call attention to what they feel is police harrassment.

Billed as a “show of solidarity,” the informal gathering began with a short news conference after which attendees mingled in the club. The crowd of about 40 then went outside the bar and circled the club, holding hands and raising their arms to show strength and support.

Richard Ramey, co-owner of the Eagle, said that the eight employees who were arrested in last night’s raid have now been released from jail after intervention from two City Council candidates.

Ramey credited Shelitha Robertson, a candidate for City Council At-Large Post 3, and Miguel Gallegos, a gay man running for City Council District 6, for helping get a judge to hear the employees’ cases this afternoon, preventing them from spending a second night behind bars.

“If not for her and Miguel, they would still be in jail,” he said.

Atlanta Police LGBT Liaison Officer Dani Lee Harris said five men who were dancing at the club were charged with operating an adult business without a license. The other three men arrested faced business license violations.

Ramey said the citations did not merit a trip to jail. He vehemently denied charges in anonymous complaints that police said prompted the raid.

According to Harris, police received two anonymous tips of sex going on inside and outside of the club.

Ramey said the club had always been a good neighbor and the allegations were untrue. No one was arrested on drug or lewdness charges in Thursday night’s raid, he noted.

Ramey also noted that his club is being represented by well-known nightlife attorney Alan Begner, who Ramey said would release a statement on Monday about possible legal action from the club over the raid.

“I’m going to stand up for my customers,” Ramey said. “Everyone was mortified.”

Numerous patrons at the Eagle at the time of the raid have recounted what they deem harassment and harsh treatment from police, including all patrons being forced to lie on the floor and being searched. Several reported hearing anti-gay and racist comments during the raid.

Harris, who attended the gathering at the Eagle, said she could not comment on the allegations of police misconduct, but noted that if any official complaints are filed, they will be investigated.

After repeated requests for comment throughout the day, the Atlanta Police Department’s public affairs unit issued a terse statement Friday afternoon saying the raid was prompted by a “compliance complaint” and police witnessed “criminal behavior.” No specifics were provided.

Police have not responded to questions about how many officers were involved. Patrons have put the number at 15, and said some were dressed in SWAT gear.

Activists plan a rally at the Eagle on Sunday at 5 p.m. They have compared the raid to police action against a Texas bar earlier this summer, as well as the 1969 police raid on the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Patrons fought back in what came to be known as the Stonewall Riots, widely seen as sparking the modern gay civil rights movement.

This is kinda a big deal and can not believe that it’s not on the site.

James

But there are some major going on’s here in Atlanta. Last night the Atlanta Eagle was raided last night with allegations of drugs on the premises. No drugs were found but they decided to arrest 8 of the employees and have the patrons lay face down on the ground while they confiscated id’s and cell phones.

This story can be found on sovo.com, ajc.com, the Advocate and many other sources. Please check it out and help get the word out for all of us in Atlanta.

And the President has said nothing. If it’s only because no reporter asked him, then I take that as support of my second point–that it did not get great coverage outside of the gay press. I’ve heard little in Michigan–initial blips, but most has been come from gay press. So why wouldn’t the press have asked him for a POV (as they did with the marriage issues) given it was Gay Pride month and he had given a statement on Gay Pride?

As for using “outrage”–agreed that’s more than what the WH showed with the Gates affair, but at least Gates wasn’t sent to the hospital. To me the FW raid is in the same vein, but worse, than the Gates affair. So the President should have been asked, and the President should have been at least “concerned”.

I feel that this was a missed opportunity for him to express his concern and support for us and for passage of hate crimes, ENDA, etc. That isn’t a bash, but an honest expression of my feelings.

Arkansas has generally been more hostile toward gays than Texas has, so it’s surprising that this would happen to a Texas gay club when ours is actually protected by law enforcement, rather than harassed by it.

Be fair! The White House was not “outraged” and it did not offer a statement on its own in regard to the Cambridge, MA incident. It was a direct response to a reporter’s question.

So, someone needs to ask him the question, first.

Bash Obama if you will, but bash him fairly!