Gay Club Files Lawsuit Against Atlanta Police Dept

November 25, 2009 7:31 a.m. EST

Atlanta, GA (AHN) - Gay-rights group Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the Atlanta Police Department for a raid on a gay club back in September. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 19 patrons, states that police forcibly searched and detained people for up to two hours. Many bar-goers were forced to lie face down in spilled beer and broken glass as police shouted anti-gay slurs, reached into their pockets and emptied their contents, and performed background checks on them.

A spokesperson for Lambda Legal said 20 to 30 police officers were dispatched to the Atlanta Eagle bar, including APD's "Red Dog" unit, a special unit that "provides aggressive police presence in areas that have a high incidence of street drug sales, use, and drug related crimes." But once in the bar, police found no visible illegal activity (i.e. public sex, drugs, illegal weapons). No one in the bar was charged with any crime.

The suit also states that patrons were berated by police when they asked permission to move away from broken glass on the floor, at which time police yelled at them telling them to "shut the (expletive) up."

Atlanta City Attorney Roger Bhandari said he had not been served the lawsuit as of yet and has not had a chance to review it, but is confident the Department followed standard operating procedure in their actions.

The only charges filed were against the bar employees, for allegedly violating the city's entertainment law. According to arresting officers, four dancers were seen "wearing underwear and dancing."

The suit seeks damages against the police department for allegedly violating the patrons' constitutional rights, false imprisonment, assault and battery, and trespassing. The legal group is requesting a jury trial.