Kink Friendly Law

Posts Tagged ‘police’

As a prosecutor working exclusively in juvenile court I handle a fair number of cases arising from incidents that either occurred at school or some action at school caused a problem outside school. Which is logical since children spend a great deal of time being transported to and from school,  during the school day and involved in extracurricular activities. I also have, and exercise my discretion regarding which cases to pursue and which to let go. Unfortunately common sense didn’t prevail in the “Great Nugget Caper”. Read the rest of this entry »

The Atlanta Eagle was raided by elements of the Atlanta Police Department, including patrolmen, undercover officers and members of “Red Dog” a specialized drug unit last September and is finally getting some closure. After the review board announced that officers should be disciplined. Read the rest of this entry »

“Don’t mess with Texas” can be seen on bumper stickers and tee shirts throughout the State and the nation. Texas loves to cultivate its image of a rough and tumble of independent mavericks. Someone should tell officers of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) not to take the slogan literally. During an incident at a gay club in Fort Worth a TABC officer assaulted a patron who had allegedly groped him. Now the City has decided to prosecute the patron. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Sunday September 13, beginning at 5:30pm interested people, activists and the curious can meet in the parking lot of the Atlanta Eagle, for a rally organized in support of the bar, employees who were arrested and patrons who were violated by the insensitive tactics employed by the Atlanta Police Department (APD). After the reading of a short statement and time for anyone willing or able to share their story, those gathered will march the short distance to City Hall where another Statement will be read.

I hope all the communities that exist on the fringe of normal vanilla society or who feel mariginalized by vanilla society whether gay or straight, will find both the time and the courage to come down to 306 Ponce de Leon Ave and attend the rally today for the Atlanta Eagle. Because the issue isn’t whether conduct was occurring that night which might have been improper, or whether or not bar patrons where outside or in the parking lot and on the street doing anything inappropreate. The issue is whether the ten (10) or so undercover police officers witnessed any illegal conduct prior to the raid that would have given them probable cause to search and detain bar employees and patrons indiscriminately. If the undercover officers didn’t witness any drug use, hand to hand drug sales, illegal weapons or a sexual act or lewd behavior, then APD over-reacted and quit possibly acted in an illegal capacity. (See the 4th Amendment.)

It is extremely important that cool heads prevail at todays scheduled rally for the Eagle, because the last thing the Eagle or the community itself needs is for this rally and march to turn ugly, allowing APD to be called in to make arrests and restore the peace. We need to remember there is an election coming up in November, and we can rest assured that politicians from both parties and all manner of idealogical beliefs and agendas will come courting our vote. That is the time to say our community straight or gay will not put up with these kinds of blatantly harassing tactics by APD. Rally today to show your support, vote carefully in November for the candidate who truly cares about stopping this sort of police terror.

For the first time in a very long time, I’m ashamed to call Atlanta home. I’m also ashamed that as an assistant district attorney I side with the police and help them fight crime. When I read about an incident like the one which occurred on Thursday night in Atlanta. When APD (Atlanta Police Department) raided the Eagle, a local gay leather bar. I find this entire incident reprehensible harking back to the “bad old days” when southern cops were mostly rednecks and good ole boys, who enjoyed taking potshots and harassing anyone who didn’t look, talk and act like them.

After reading this story I can say I’m truly ashamed and disgusted with the entire affair. And after reading the story and first hand accounts, even if you discount 50% of the negative comments and first person accounts, chalking them up to urban outrage, the APD officers were still out of line; WAY OUT OF LINE. The account describing the APD officers conduct sounds like dialog or stage directions from a low budget police drama. It really wasn’t the type of conduct I’d expect as an assistant district attorney to have my police officers exhibit during any police citizen encounter.

Considering the number of assaults, murders and robberies which occurs in Atlanta on a weekly basis, APD has plenty of very serious crime to keep themselves busy without trying to manufacture an excuse to raid a gay bar and hassle the patrons. I hope everyone reading this post feels the same level of disbelief and outrage that I feel and hopefully my readers living in the Atlanta metro area will take the time to express their outrage by writing the city council and mayors office letting them know that the citizens of Atlanta aren’t going to tolerate this kind of senseless act of hatred in this day and age.