Internal Investigation for Raid on Atlanta Eagle

How do you cap off a summer of anti-gay harassment, homophobic holy-rollers, and police raids on gay bars? With another police raid on a gay bar.

(From Advocate.com)
An investigation looms and protesters rally after Atlanta police raided a popular leather bar on Thursday night.

Police in Atlanta said they are conducting an internal investigation after a raid at a gay bar on Thursday night generated many complaints of officer misconduct.

Members of the police department’s vice squad raided the Atlanta Eagle, a leather bar in Midtown, in response to claims from neighbors about public sex acts. Bar patrons who witnessed the raid said the officers who responded used disproportionate force, according to CBS Atlanta, which reported news of the internal investigation on Friday.

“Bar patron John Curran said, ‘They were really rough and aggressive,’” reported the station. “Curran adds, 'I heard one police officer say he hated gay people.’”

Eight bar employees were arrested for lack of proper permits, although the club remains open.

On Sunday evening, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Atlanta Eagle to demand scrutiny of police actions. They planned to take their concerns to a city council meeting on Tuesday.