Atlanta Eagle police raid

During the raid, bar patrons and employees were subject to anti-gay slurs, derogatory language, and both threats of and actual physical violence.

In the resulting court cases, which lasted until 2012, the city of Atlanta paid out over $1 million in settlements to the victims and instituted changes to police policies designed to prevent a similar situation from happening.

In 2015, the city was subject to further legal action after the police were found to have reverted some of the court-ordered changes they had been required to make following the trials.

[note 1] According to a 2020 report by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the bar had become "a place of prominence in the LGBTQ community, significant as a site for public social interaction".

[10][11][12] While sources initially varied with regards to how many officers were involved,[note 2] a later report by a citizen review board stated that 24 officers were involved in the initial raid, composed of members of the Atlanta Police Department's Vice Squad and the Red Dog Unit,[13] a SWAT-like unit used in areas with high drug use.

[14][note 3] According to the lead investigator present at the bar during the event, the unit had been called in as backup for safety reasons following the start of the raid.

According to several patrons, all staff members, dancers, and anyone wearing underwear were handcuffed, and almost everyone in the building was searched for drugs and asked to show identification.

[19] Multiple sources claimed that the police used abusive language and homophobic slurs towards the patrons, including "faggots" and "queers".

[10] A later report stated that the raid was caused by two anonymous complaints lodged to the mayor's office alleging illegal drug use and sex on the premises.

The following day, numerous patrons filed official complaints with the Office of Professional Standards of the Atlanta Police Department (APD).

"[22] Following their arrest, the eight employees pleaded not guilty,[10] and two city council candidates contacted a judge who set bail for them, sparing them from spending a weekend in jail.

[17] A lawyer who was retained to defend the bar stated the following:[17] The situation is such that they [police] were coming in for the least serious ordinance violation of all time – dancing around in their underwear.

[20] The appointment spurred significant backlash from members of Atlanta's LGBT community,[12] and in an effort to quell this, the committee additionally named the staff and patrons of the Eagle as co-marshals.

[24] On November 24, 2009, lead attorney Dan Grossman, along with LGBT rights group Lambda Legal and the Southern Center for Human Rights,[20] filed a federal lawsuit against the APD on behalf of 19 patrons who were at the Eagle during the raid, naming Atlanta Chief of Police Richard Pennington and 48 other officers who were present during the raid as defendants.

[14] The suit, titled Calhoun v. Pennington,[20] alleged that the constitutional rights of the patrons had been violated by the police, who had used excessive force and lacked reasonable suspicion or probable cause for the raid.

The unit members were wearing black paramilitary-like clothing and were not readily identifiable as police officers, causing some patrons to fear that they were criminals or violent gay bashers.

The suit also alleged that patrons who asked questions during the raid were threatened with physical harm and violence, and some were forced to remain inside the Eagle for some time after being searched.

[20] On June 10, 2010, a citizen review board[note 4] voted to recommend punishments against two APD officers who had arrested David Shepherd, an assistant manager for the Eagle who, at the time of the raid, was off duty and in his upstairs apartment.

[20] On July 22, Reed (who by this time was now mayor of Atlanta) attended a town hall meeting organized by councilmember Alex Wan to talk about recent anti-gay crimes that had taken place in the city.

[29] Talking for more than an hour to the group, Reed stated that the accusations will be investigated,[29] further claiming that if it is found that police destroyed evidence, the city would publicly handle the situation.

[20] The same month the allegations were made, Reed was honored as the keynote speaker at the 16th Annual Stonewall Bar Association Awards, held on October 28.

[31] Speaking about the committee, one Eagle attorney stated, "Part of the reason he is doing this is because he believes this blue ribbon panel can say things he doesn’t feel like he is free to say.

Local queer-oriented website Project Q Atlanta called the firings and discipline "the most decisive action taken since the raid that has dogged city officials for nearly two years".

[36] Both reports stated that officers involved in the raid violated the Constitutional rights of the patrons and that anti-gay prejudice played a role.

[42] The police union representing officers in Atlanta sent a letter supporting Grossman's claim, further stating that "adequate training on these issues appears to have fallen short".

[43] However, during the hearing at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building, the city's attorney changed course and admitted that the APD had not fully complied with the court order.

[44] Speaking of the hearing, Batten stated, "I want both sides to work out the mater in such fashion to eliminate the need for plaintiffs to come back to court".

[47] Per the court order, the APD created a one-hour training video which all officers have to watch and answer an accompanying set of questions.