January 21, 2010
Atlanta Eagle resolution stalls in City Council
Michael K. Lavers READ TIME: 1 MIN.
An Atlanta City Councilmember's resolution to offer an apology for the actions of local police officers who raided a popular gay bar last September has stalled.
The Public Safety Committee of the Atlanta City Council voted on Jan. 12 to table Councilmember Michael Julian Bond's resolution, which seeks a dismissal of charges against the eight people who were arrested during the controversial raid at the Atlanta Eagle. The measure urges an apology for the "indignities which they experienced as a result of the September 10, 2009, police raid."
Forty-eight officers entered the Midtown bar and reportedly handcuffed patrons and employees. Other reports indicate members of the APD forced them to lay face down on the ground while they conducted a nearly hour-long search.
Councilmember Alex Wan told Project Q Atlanta Bond had not consulted him before he introduced the resolution earlier this month. He voted to send it back to committee, but he added remains interested in the investigation's outcome.
"I am following this very closely and want to make sure appropriate actions are taken as the investigation is completed and the legal case ends," Wan said.
Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit in November against former APD chief Richard Pennington and the 48 officers. Mayor Kasim Reed has called for an investigation into the officers' conduct, but a Lambda spokesperson told EDGE the lawyers representing the plaintiffs are awaiting the city's formal response to their suit.
Based in Washington, D.C., Michael K. Lavers has appeared in the New York Times, BBC, WNYC, Huffington Post, Village Voice, Advocate and other mainstream and LGBT media outlets. He is an unapologetic political junkie who thoroughly enjoys living inside the Beltway.
