Gay Bar Patrons Sue for Atlanta Raid

Patrons of an Atlanta gay bar who were detained and searched during a September police raid have sued the city and the chief of police, alleging civil rights violations.

According to a September article in TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution, an anonymous tip sent to Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin's office alleged that persons frequenting the Atlanta Eagle were engaging in "illicit sex," which prompted a raid by the city's vice squad on the evening of September 10. Patrons were summarily forced to lie on the floor during the raid, which found no evidence of public sex or drug use, according to Lambda Legal, which represents the 19 individuals now suing the city.

"The illegal activity going on in the Atlanta Eagle that night was committed by the [Atlanta Police Department]," said Greg Nevins, a senior staff attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern regional office. "If it is APD procedure for elderly men and wounded veterans to be thrown to the floor and harassed simply for being in a bar having a drink after work, then the APD should change its procedures."

According to Lambda, police shoved, kicked, and forced some patrons to "lie on the floor in spilled beer and broken glass." No patrons were arrested in the raid.