ATLANTA: Six Cops Fired Over Eagle Raid

Six Atlanta police officers have been fired for lying about what happened during their infamous 2009 raid on the Eagle nightclub. Other firings may be coming.

The actions come almost 10 days after the release of 343-page report detailing how 16 officers lied or destroyed evidence when asked about the raid at the Atlanta Eagle bar. The report said 10 of them lied, which usually leads to a termination because those officers can not longer testify. “Honesty goes to the very heart of a police officer’s credibility,” Chief George Turner said. “The public must be able to trust its police officers and expects them to tell the truth at all times. Failure to be truthful has serious consequences at the Atlanta Police Department. I hope my actions today serve as a reminder to those men and women on the force that dishonesty simply will not be tolerated.”

Last year the city of Atlanta paid out a $1M settlement to some of the Eagle's patrons and staff.

ATLANTA: Were Eagle Raid Cops Drunk?

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, some of the undercover cops that took part in the now-infamous raid on the Atlanta Eagle had been drinking heavily in the bar before the raid began. Two of the cops are said to have downed "shot after shot of Jagermeister," including rounds bought for them by the bartender.

Three undercover officers were already in the Atlanta Eagle bar before the Sept. 10, 2009, raid started. At least two of them were drinking heavily, according to the bartender and the receipts they filed for the costs of their drinks. According to information gathered in the now-settled lawsuit, officer Bennie Bridges spent $60 of APD funds on May 21, 2009, and another $50 the night of the raid on Sept. 10, 2009. A second officer working undercover that evening, Jared Watkins, claimed $60 for drinks the night of the raid. The third officer inside the Eagle bar before the raid claimed he spent $10. According to records for those who were in the bar undercover on May 21, 2009, five officers, one of them a woman, each claimed they spent $5. Three others reported spending $10, $20 and $29. That was the night Bridges, the lead investigator, spent $60, according to information gathered to settle a federal lawsuit for $1.025 million and legal costs.

Spending $60 sounds like about eight or ten drinks, far far too many just to maintain the guise of being a customer. On the night of the raid, Eagle patrons and staffers said that officers threw them roughly to the filthy bar floor and then made mocking anti-gay slurs. The fictitious charges for public sex and drug possession were dismissed against most of those arrested, the others were found not guilty. And now they all get to split a million dollars of city money.

Lead Cop In Atlanta Eagle Bar Raid Busted For DUI And Marijuana Possession

The police officer who led the ill-fated raid at the Atlanta Eagle has been arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana.

According to Cobb County Sheriff’s Office booking reports, Bennie Evett Bridges, 41, was stopped Thursday a little before 3 a.m. for speeding in excess of 100 miles per hour and Cobb Police officers subsequently charged him with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. According to APD officials, Bridges is now on administrative leave with pay. Bridges is an investigator in the APD’s vice unit and he spearheaded the department’s investigation into claims that illicit sexual acts were being performed at the Atlanta Eagle in 2009.

RELATED: Nineteen customers and employees of the Atlanta Eagle reported that cops threw them to the filthy floor of the bar during the September 2009 raid and hurled anti-gay slurs at them as they lay there. All defendants were later found not guilty or had their charges dismissed. In December 2010 the city of Atlanta agreed to pay a $1M settlement to victims of the raid.

(Tipped by JMG reader Dan)

Atlanta Mayor Apologizes For Eagle Raid

(Via - Georgia Voice)

ATLANTA: City To Pay $1M Settlement Over Police Raid At Eagle Nightclub

The city of Atlanta has agreed to pay a $1M settlement over last year's outrageous police raid of the Eagle, a popular leather bar where employees and patrons were forced to lie on a filthy floor as cops reportedly shouted anti-gay slurs. The Georgia Voice reports:

The Atlanta City Council voted unanimously this afternoon to approve a $1.025 million settlement in a federal lawsuit over the Atlanta Police Department's 2009 raid on the Atlanta Eagle, a gay bar on Ponce de Leon Avenue. The settlement must now go back to the federal judge for final approval. All parties in the case are under a gag order until the settlement is finalized. Before the vote, the council met in closed executive session to discuss the proposed settlement, which was reached Friday between city attorneys and attorneys for patrons and employees of the Eagle. The settlement resolution includes $1.025 million to go into an escrow account with Lambda Legal, one of two nonprofit legal groups that joined attorney Dan Grossman in representing the Eagle plaintiffs. The Southern Center for Human Rights also joined the case.

Those arrested on the night of the raid either had their charges dismissed or were found not guilty.

ATLANTA: Citizen Review Board Rules Cops Falsely Imprisoned Eagle Bar Patrons

Atlanta's Citizen Review Board has ruled that 24 city cops falsely imprisoned patrons of the Atlanta Eagle during a raid that occurred one year ago today. The board is delaying deciding on a punishment for the officers pending a review of what role their supervisors had in the raid.

The CRB, a citizens oversight board created by the Atlanta City Council, is limited in the kinds of complaints it can investigate, and the actions of police supervisors is among them. But the board has a great deal of latitude in conducting studies, according to the city ordinance. Some patrons said they were not allowed to move for more than an hour while officers confiscated their driver's licenses and checked for criminal records. Customers also said they had to endure anti-gay slurs from some of the officers. The CRB staff said Thursday it could not identify the officers who allegedly made those comments because the patrons were face-down on the floor and could not see who was speaking. The officers involved in the raid denied making or hearing slurs.

All charges against the patrons and employees were eventually dismissed.

WEDNESDAY: NYC Eagle & Lambda Legal Solidarity Fundraiser For Atlanta Eagle

Tomorrow, Wednesday May 12th, the NYC Eagle will host a benefit for Lambda Legal in solidarity with the Atlanta Eagle, who was the subject of a ridiculous raid last September. All patrons and employees were found not guilty last month, but Lambda Legal's lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, their police chief, and 48 police officers will continue. The Atlanta City Commission subpoenaed 18 officers to tell their side of the story, but at last report only one has complied. The NYC Eagle event will feature an open bar and a silent auction with music by DJ Rich King. Advance tickets are $50, RSVP online here.

NYC Eagle To Host Lambda Legal Benefit

On May 12th the NYC Eagle will host a benefit for Lambda Legal in solidarity with the Atlanta Eagle, who was the subject of a ridiculous raid last September. All patrons and employees were found not guilty last month, but Lambda Legal's lawsuit against the city of Atlanta, their police chief, and 48 police officers will continue. The Atlanta City Commission subpoenaed 18 officers to tell their side of the story, but at last report only one has complied. The NYC Eagle event will feature an open bar and a silent auction with music by DJ Rich King. Advance tickets are $50, RSVP online here.

Atlanta Eagle Lawsuit Expands

Several days after all of the Atlanta Eagle bar raid patrons and employees were found not guilty or had their charges dismissed, the lawsuit against the Atlanta police has expanded. Attorneys have now named 35 individual Atlanta police officers in the suit and have added six more Eagle patrons as plaintiffs. (PDF.)

Atlanta Eagle Defendants Found Not Guilty

Three of the gay men arrested during the police raid of the Atlanta Eagle have been found not guilty. The judge then threw out the charges against the other five defendants when detectives could not identify them.

Municipal Judge Crystal Gaines said city police failed to produce evidence proving that men danced naked without permits or that the bar operators were running an unlicensed adult establishment. The decision comes as defendants and others involved with the Ponce de Leon Avenue bar are countering with a lawsuit in federal court against the city and Atlanta police officers. "We always thought from the beginning that we were charged for no reason," bar co-owner Richard Ramey, who was not a defendant, said after the decision. "They had no right to be there," he said of the police. The case stems from a Sept. 10 raid. Late that night, a swarm of officers detained and searched about five dozen Eagle customers, making some lie handcuffed and face down on the club's floor. Some customers said they were not allowed to move for an hour and that they endured anti-gay slurs from the officers.

The Atlanta City Council has issued subpoenas to 18 police officers demanding their testimony about the raid. Only one officer has complied so far. The arrested customers and employees of the Eagle are suing the city and the police department, charging them with constitutional violations.

Wanted: More Plaintiffs For The Atlanta Eagle Bar Raid Case

One of the lawyers representing the patrons of the Atlanta Eagle has written to note that fewer than half of the customers who were present on the night of that outrageous raid have joined the lawsuit against the city and the cops. He advises that there are only a few days left to "easily" join the complaint. And it won't cost you a dime.

Please feel free to let people know they should not worry about legal fees, if that is the reason they have not joined the case. From the first day I took the case I agreed not to take a fee from the clients, and when the Southern Center for Human Rights and Lambda Legal agreed to join me in the case they both agreed, very happily, to the same arrangement. I would hate to think anyone is staying away from the case because of a concern about legal fees. I do understand that there are legitimate reasons some people might want to avoid joining the case, and I respect that decision; the names of the plaintiffs' are public, and some people might be concerned about their privacy. (Of course, in terms of having the police and the city know their identity, the police already have everyone's names, since their took everyone's ID and put their names, birthdates, etc. into a police computer. But I understand that being a plaintiff in a public lawsuit is not something everyone is comfortable with.)

Go AtlantaEagleRaid.com for information on how to join the suit. If you don't care to be a plaintiff, you can join as a witness instead.

Atlanta To Subpoena 18 Police Officers Over Eagle Nightclub Raid

The Atlanta City Council will subpoena eighteen police officers to force their testimony before a citizen review board about last September's raid of the Atlanta Eagle in which patrons were handcuffed, verbally abused, and forced to lie on the floor.

The Committee on Council's unanimous vote came after more than an hour of testimony, questions and debate Monday on the board's request to increase the pressure on Atlanta police officers who have appeared before the board but refused to answer questions. The union and officers say they are not shielded from criminal charges based on testimony before the board as they are when they answer questions in an APD internal investigation. There is no criminal investigation pending, though four Atlanta Eagle employees are charged with violating city ordinances. A civil case was filed in federal court against the officers and the city, however. “Even with a subpoena, I’m not sure the person has to speak,” council member Cleta Winslow said moments before the vote. A lawyer for the Police Benevolent Association said it would be up to each officer to hire an attorney if he decided to fight the subpoena. If they do not respond to the subpoena, officers could be fined $1,000 each or sentenced to six months in jail, according to Cristina Beamud, the board's executive director.

In November, Lambda Legal filed suit against the city, the chief of police, and 48 police officers on behalf of the Eagle's patrons. The lawsuit alleges violations of the U.S. and Georgia state constitutions.

Lambda Legal Sues Atlanta Cops and City Over Eagle Bar Raid

On behalf of 19 customers who suffered physical and verbal abuse during a September raid of the Atlanta Eagle nightclub, Lambda Legal is suing the city, the chief of police, and 48 individual cops. Via press release:

“The illegal activity going on in the Atlanta Eagle that night was committed by the APD," said Greg Nevins, Supervising Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office based in Atlanta. “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.” Dan Grossman, co-counsel in the case, has been working with victims of the raid since that night. “I’ve listened to dozens of stories from patrons who were mistreated by police at the Atlanta Eagle that night,” said Grossman. “The Atlanta Police Department is not above the law. They do not get to search and detain people who are not suspected of any crime.”

Customers of the Eagle were handcuffed, thrown to the filthy floor, and endured verbal abuse as the police conducted the raid. No arrests were made. The lawsuit claims violations of the U.S. and Georgia constitutions.

Tomorrow: Rally At Atlanta City Hall To Protest Police Harassment At Eagle Raid

At noon tomorrow, Saturday, a massive rally is planned for Atlanta's City Hall in protest of police actions during the raid of the Atlanta Eagle last week. From GLBT/ATL:

GLBTATL, made up of members of Atlanta's LGBT community, and our allies are highly concerned with the Atlanta Police Department in their handling of the police action against the Atlanta Eagle bar on September 10, 2009. We believe that no person, regardless of sexual orientation, race, or other aspect, should be treated in the manners alleged in the official complaints. We are further disappointed in the sluggish response from the Atlanta City Council, and particularly with the abject silence of Mayor Shirley Franklin. We join with other local and national groups in calling for an immediate, transparent investigation into the events. Should the allegations of improper police conduct prove true, the offending parties should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As community leaders, we want it to be understood that our trust in the protection and dedication of Atlanta Police Department officers has been violated.

No community should live in fear of its protectors in law enforcement, whether in Fort Worth, TX (where a similar raid occurred in June at that city's "Rainbow Lounge"), Atlanta, or anywhere in America. As Atlantans, as Americans, and as humans, we demand respect, fairness, and common sense from our law enforcement and our government. We recognize that this issue represents a gross violation of the civil rights, and likely violation of United States Constitution-conferred rights, of Atlanta's citizens. Though as activists we may represent Atlanta's gay community, these events are a pandemic issue of violation of civil, and basic human, rights.

Facebook action page here. JMG readers attending the rally, please send me any photos and video you take for immediate posting here.

Atlanta Eagle Raid: Complaints Charge Cops With Harassment, Verbal Abuse

The Southern Voice has published some of the complaints filed with the Atlanta police after their raid of the Eagle nightclub, during which many patrons were forced to lie face-down and handcuffed on a filthy floor. According to the complaints, police officers made racist and homophobic comments during the raid.

• One man said officers grabbed patrons who didn't immediately lie down by the neck and forced them to the ground. The man said he was kicked in the ribs while lying down. "Then I heard laughing and giggling and saying this is more fun than raiding ni**ers with crack. They also told us to shut the fuck up unless we were spoken too [sic]." The man said he heard one person told that if he spoke again he would be hit by a chair. He also reported that one officer "said to everyone in general that all you all do is flash your asses and show your cocks."
• An Eagle employee said he did not know what he was charged with until he got to jail. "A lot of officers were laughing and high-fiving each other, and I heard one officer say I thought this was a sex club."
• Another patron described listening to officers chat about their cell phone plans as he lay on the ground. "I was forced down by physical force. They grabbed my neck and pushed me down. They put their boot on my back and told me to stay down. … If anyone asked anything they were told to 'shut the fuck up.'"
• Another patron said he saw officers forcing people to the ground by officers pushing their shoulders or the backs of their heads. He said he asked to move because there was broken glass on the floor where he was lying, and he was told to "shut the fuck up." The customer recounted hearing anti-gay slurs: "I heard several slurs such as 'I hate homosexuals.' I also heard 'I don't like fags.' One officer asked me if I was married and had any children, and he told me I should be ashamed for being there." The customer recounted having his diabetes medication, which was in an unmarked container, taken and not returned. He recounted hearing another customer told that if he didn't be quiet, an officer would hit him over the head with one of the barstools. "There were several officers standing over me that started joking about this is a lot of fun, we ought to come back and do this every week." The customer said he heard an officer say pictures of men on the walls made him sick, and make comments about people's appearance, including calling him "big boy." He also said officers were watching the football game on TV during the raid.
• A customer said he at first thought the bar was being robbed because the first police officer to yell "get the fuck on the floor" was dressed in civilian clothes and did not display a badge.
• An employee who was arrested said that after the customers were allowed to leave, "the officers started high fiving and jumping up in the air bumping into each other like they were at a football game."
• An employee who lives in an apartment over the Eagle, who said he was not working that night, said someone started pounding on his door. He opened the door to two cops who asked if anyone was having sex there. They asked why there was a bed and he said it was because he lives there. He was made to come downstairs and was arrested with the other employees. He recalled hearing comments like "You people are despicable."

Southern Voice has also published the anonymously submitted Crime Stoppers complaint (PDF) against the Eagle, which is so incredibly detailed that one can only presume it was submitted by a gay man. Embiggen the below excerpt to see. Did one of our own bring the Atlanta police down on the Eagle? Another club owner, perhaps?

Hundreds Rally At Atlanta Eagle

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Atlanta Eagle this weekend to decry last week's raid by the Atlanta police.

John Curran says he was at the Atlanta Eagle Thursday night when both uniformed and undercover APD officers stormed the building and forced all 60-or-so patrons there to the floor. Addressing several hundred demonstrators last night outside of the bar, Curran joined calls for a formal investigation. "Thursday night was the first time I've ever felt like a second-class citizen. Thursday night was the first time I ever felt like a criminal for being at the right place at the wrong time. We were handcuffed, thrown to the floor, frisked, violently, lots of derogatory comments, and I'm sorry, I don't want to rehash that right now."

Officer Darlene Harris, APD's liaison to the gay community, said police raided the bar because of alleged criminal sexual activity. She says the quick, heavy-handed approach is the same officers would use going into any similar situation. "When you're coming into a dark club, that's not well lit, and you have an unknown number of people inside the club, it is an officer safety concern as well." Harris said police arrested eight bar employees. "The individuals that were arrested were arrested for various charges, not just one. For operating a business without a license, for dancing without a permit. Those seem to be the two that have came in." But Atlanta Eagle co-owner Richard Ramey says the raid was reminiscent of 1960s police harassment of gays and lesbians. "Once they searched everyone, found no weapons or drugs, they said Well, I guess we'll have to go to the IDs next.' So they brought a laptop to see if they had any warrants or unpaid traffic tickets. They were fishing, they were looking."

Saturday: Protest Rally At Atlanta Eagle

A rally protesting the treatment of staff and patrons during yesterday's police raid at the Atlanta Eagle will take place tomorrow, Saturday, at the nightclub at 7:30PM. Facebook action page here.

Cops Raid Atlanta Eagle, Arrest Employees, Patrons Claim Harassment

Last night Atlanta police raided the popular Eagle nightclub, arresting several employees and angering patrons who claim they are being harassed.

About ten police cars and about 15 cops raided the bar, allegedly looking for drugs. However, the police were said to have ordered all patrons to get on the ground--including patrons who were just dancing or standing at the bar--and numerous patrons said people were handcuffed indiscriminately. Bar patrons were furious at the aggressive and indiscriminate treatment and called the incident "harassment." Patrons also stated that at least three undercover cops were present. One patron stated he knew this because he saw the undercover police first without their badges, mingling with the crowds, and then again with their badges on. However, after all the arrests were made, this writer noticed as several plainclothes men--several Black males and a couple White males--talked in a circle with police officers. They then went to their cars and drove off. It was apparent about 10 undercover police had been there. One police officer stated, as he and others left the parking lot, "This is gonna keep happening if we keep getting complaints from the community." The officer did not specify what complaints he was referring to.

According to the Eagle's owner, the bar's only citation was for allowing go-go boys to dance in their underwear. It was the nightclub's weekly "underwear party." Numerous patrons complain of being handcuffed and forced to lie on the floor as they were searched for drugs. No patrons were arrested.

"Everyone was ordered to get on their stomachs and face down during this ordeal. As far as I could tell everyone was searched at least once, most of us twice. Most, but not all, of the officers were incredibly derogatory and insulting whether they found evidence of drugs or not," Vives said. "When asking why, we were met with derisive remarks and no explanation. I am furious at how we were treated and can't believe that this has happened in this day and age. The officers present were incredibly rude to anyone who dared to ask what was happening and several were openly hostile towards the gay patrons. Of the officers present, there was one female who was running searches on the IDs of those whose licenses were collected. She was not only rude but seemed to be enjoying the event," Vives said. "At one point, she stopped what she was doing and walked over to the television and asked her colleagues what the score to the game playing on the television was.....at this point there were still innocent patrons laying face down on the floor," Vives said.

More on this story as it develops.