City reaches settlement with Atlanta Eagle bar

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The city of Atlanta has reached a settlement with plaintiffs searched and detained during a controversial police raid of the Atlanta Eagle gay bar in September 2009.

Dan Grossman, representing the plaintiffs, confirmed the agreement but could not comment on specifics per the instructions of federal Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman. The city will pay an unspecified monetary settlement as well as oversee reforms within the police department -- a victory for the petitioners, based on their stated goal when the civil rights suit was filed in November 2009.

"It's unfortunate we need a federal judge to make our police department follow the law," Grossman said at a news conference announcing the suit, filed on behalf of 19 Eagle patrons against the city, former Police Chief Richard Pennington and 48 of his officers, including members of the department's Red Dog unit. "Since [police] don't think they did something wrong they're going to do it again."

The settlement has to be approved by the Atlanta City Council and neither side can comment until the deal is finalized.

According to police records, undercover vice officers had visited the Ponce de Leon nightclub and witnessed men having sex while other patrons watched. The department also received complaints alleging drug sales on the premises.

No charges were filed against any of the 62 patrons forced to lie down on the bar floor during the raid, though eight Eagle employees were arrested for permit violations. Pennington said the patrons were "frisked" for the officers' safety. No search warrant was served.