AKA William

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Of course, it comes down to accusations of drug-fueled public sex because, you know, that’s the only thing gay men are capable of doing at bars. So gross.

The Atlanta Police chief has responded to the Stonewall-style raid of the Atlanta Eagle: AJC reports:

Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington said Monday that undercover vice officers had been to the club on two prior occasions and observed illegal activity there . . . Police records show that initial complaints alleged there were drugs being sold on Atlanta Eagle premises and that patrons engaged in open sex acts.

The raid began last Thursday after 11 p.m. when police officers entered the bar and told everyone to lie facedown on the floor.

For the next couple of hours, police went through the patrons’ pockets, apparently looking for narcotics, said Alan Begner, Atlanta Eagle’s lawyer. The officers also took everyone’s identification and ran background checks on them. One by one, the customers were allowed to leave, Begner said, noting no drugs or illegal contraband were found during the searches.

At a press conference, Pennington said he takes seriously allegations of police misconduct. He also expressed regret that Danni Lynn Harris, the department’s liason with the gay and lesbian community, had not been notified of the raid.

Let’s see. The police allege that drugs were being sold and public sex was being engaged in at The Atlanta Eagle, so the police decide to raid the bar — without informing its LBGT liaison. And when the raid went down, the patrons were illegally searched and subjected to gay slurs. And, then, the eight people arrested were employees, not patrons. I’m still working on verifying what the employees were charged with.

To his credit, Chief Pennington acknowledged that the LBGT liaison should have been notified to help curtail inappropriate behavior by the police. Pennington also said, “This is very unfortunate this incident occurred. I’m sorry for what happened.”

On Monday at least ten of the bars patrons and employees lodged official complaints with the APD, and Pennington promised that each complaint will be thoroughly investigated.

Additionally, the Atlanta Eagle patrons and their supporters are taking their complaints to a city council meeting tonight. I’ll update as more information comes in.