Atlanta Eagle co-owner: Rumors of gay bar closing not ‘absolutely true’

“Chris, who is also a partner in Pizzeria Vesuvius on Edgewood Avenue, is an immensely nice, funny person,” Bostock added.

Lopez was one of the Eagle 8 charged in the botched raid of the gay bar by the Atlanta Police Department and its Red Dog Unit in September 2009. He was jailed and went to trial for the charges, but his charges were dismissed during the trial.

When asked if the Atlanta Eagle was closing at the end of the year, Ramey said, “That is not necessarily true. Chris Lopez was laid off … and one of the reasons is because times are tough.”

He said Robby Kelley, who owns the bar with Ramey, was going to work more shifts as a bartender to help out.

Ramey also was upset with CL’s report.

“Just because we decided to lay a person off does not mean we are closing and no news agency should be reporting that,” he said.

Ramey said he also planned to call CL to voice a complaint.

But when asked further about any plans to close, Ramey said, “At this point it’s not absolutely true. Creative Loafing is not blogging the correct information.

“Business is bad for everyone — there’s not a bar in Atlanta that’s not having a tough year,” Ramey added.

GA Voice talked to Lopez who said his being laid off at the end of his shift on Nov. 4 was “unfortunate.”

“They told me it was because of the economy. It’s just unfortunate how things were handled,” he said.

Top photo: Atlanta Eagle recently laid off long-time bartender Chris Lopez (by Dyana Bagby)