With 50 surveillance cameras located throughout Atlantic Station’s 138-acre complex of residences and retail businesses, finding out exactly when and where a gay man said he was assaulted on the property is apparently no easy task.
Atlantic Station security personnel are still poring through “hours and hours” of video as part of its investigation into the alleged Aug. 4 attack on John Mark Parker, 50, as he was walking to the Fenuxe Fire Party in the former Fox Sports Grill.
“I know we are working closely with the Atlanta Police Department and working closely with them to go through hours and hours of footage,” said Elizabeth Hagin, spokesperson for Atlantic Station. “Everything we have so far has been turned over to APD.”
So what if the Savannah gay beating victim winked at two Marines?
Re: “‘May have been more to’ alleged Savannah gay bashing, police LGBT liaison says” (www.thegavoice.com, June 15)
Just because we’re gay doesn’t mean we can flirt with whoever, whenever, as if we have a free pass. My prayers to the beaten victim, and my prayers for our future behaviors and acceptance.
The Atlanta Police Department is seeking nominations for a nine-member LGBT advisory board, the department announced today. Nominations and those interested in serving must be made by Friday, July 16.
"As I begin to do important work with this position, it will be vital that I hear directly from our community on an ongoing basis," said the APD LGBT liaison Officer Patricia Powell in a statement.
Nominations are being sought from the local LGBT community as a way to create an ongoing dialogue and better improving relations and understanding, according to a press release.
Under the shade of oak trees on Johnson Square in the historic district of Savannah, Ga., with City Hall as a backdrop, dozens of LGBT activists gathered June 20 to express outrage over the recent alleged beating of a gay man by two U.S. Marines.
While the incident remains under investigation, it raises serious questions about homophobia in the military — which will face significant scrutiny if “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed — and whether Georgia needs to finally pass a state hate crimes law.
The purpose of the rally was to bring attention to the need for a state hate crimes law and to demand that city leaders address violence against LGBT people in Savannah, said Kevin Clark, Savannah chapter director for Georgia Equality, the state’s largest LGBT group.
Savannah LGBT activists are forming the group “Act Out Savannah” in response to recent attacks and alleged attacks on gay residents, according to a press release issued today.
“In response to the vile and vicious attacks on fellow members of the GLBT community of Savannah, and in response to the City and Police Department’s failure to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our community, the fiercest of Savannah’s activists have joined together to bring the fight for equal protection, equal rights and equal justice to the streets,” states the release.
Georgia Equality calls for a state hate crimes law to be passed
The LGBT liaison for the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department is asking the public to be patient as the department investigates the alleged beating of a gay man by two Marines over the weekend.