Joe.My.God. LGBT News
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.