On the eve of Atlanta Pride, Atlanta Police Chief George Turner announced in a press release new policies for interactions...
Former Atlanta Police Sgt. Willie Adams, a supervisor of the unconstitutional raid on the Atlanta Eagle, won an appeal in court today in his attempt to get his job back with the APD.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Lee ruled in Adams' favor in his attempt to get back on the Atlanta police force where he was a 20-year veteran before being fired in the midst of the Eagle raid scandal. His firing was upheld in 2011 by the city's Civil Service Board and then appealed to court.
The controversial leader of YouthPride has been removed from the city’s working group studying ways to end prostitution, but the mayor’s office and City Councilman Michael Bond disagree on who made the decision.
Terence McPhaul, executive director of YouthPride, an organization that serves LGBT youth, was informed Friday, March 22, that he was no longer on the group, Bond said. The decision was made days after the city announced those on the working group in a press release.
In a work session today, the Atlanta City Council's Public Safety Committee dropped the proposed banishment ordinance targeting prostitutes and decided to instead form a task force to study the root causes of sex work.
Proposed by Atlanta Police Chief George Turner, the "banishment ordinance" could bar convicted prostitutes from “areas of prostitution,” or even from the entire city after a second prostitution conviction.
Twenty-three gay and lesbian officers shared their personal stories of coming out in an "It Gets Better" video as part of a global movement to help young people struggling with their sexuality and gender identity.
The video was shown for the first time to the public Wednesday at the Phillip Rush Center.
The video includes an introduction by Chief George Turner, who says he is an LGBT ally and honored to support the "It Gets Better" project.
"All teenagers go through an awkward phase but it can be especially daunting if you are someone who is unsure of your sexuality and where your life may be headed. As a police force we will stand up for you, no one deserves to be bullied for any reason," Turner says.
The Atlanta Eagle is ready to party.
In April, the gay bar in Midtown celebrates its 25th anniversary with a barbecue, balloon drop and giveaways, as well as the annual Leather Pride event.
The entire month of April is also booked with numerous other parties each weekend, including the celebration of Richard Ramey and Robby Kelley owning the bar for 15 years and MondoHomo’s popular WigOut party and fundraiser.
A former Atlanta Police Department officer fired for lying during investigations into the unconstitutional raid on the Atlanta Eagle made a plea to the city's Civil Service Board to get his job back.
Cayenne Mayes, 34, a former member of the now disbanded APD's Red Dog Unit who was fired in July, testified to the city's Civil Service Review Board on Wednesday and said he did not intend to lie when he told the Atlanta Citizen Review Board in March 2010 he did not pat down or frisk any patrons in the gay Midtown bar when it was raided Sept. 10, 2009.
In May, however, during an APD Office of Professional Standards and the Greenberg Traurig investigation, Mayes admitted he did pat down at least three men during the raid. He was fired by APD Chief George Turner in July after the Greenberg Traurig and OPS reports were finished and made public, showing many officers violated the rights of the patrons in the Eagle as well as did not follow policies. As a result of the reports, six officers, including Mayes, were fired.
Atlanta Police Department officers fired or suspended due to their actions in the raid on the Atlanta Eagle two years ago plan to go before the city's Civil Service Board this week to appeal their punishments.
On Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 9 a.m., Sgt. Kelly Collier will go before the board to appeal his 20-day suspension received from Chief George Turner as punishment for his behavior during the raid on the gay Midtown bar. Angela Robertson of the city's Human Resources Department said the hearing will take place in Suite 2174 of Atlanta City Hall located at 68 Mitchell Street.
Matthew Cardinale, activist and editor of the online Atlanta Progressive News, is slated to present his case to the Georgia Supreme Court on Oct. 4, alleging the Atlanta City Council has violated the Open Meetings Act.
According to a summary provided by the state Supreme Court, the case stems from a vote the Atlanta City Council took last year while on a retreat at the Georgia Aquarium on whether or not to limit public comments at committee meetings. Cardinale's lawsuit was filed in Fulton Superior Court on May 17, 2010.
The Atlanta Police LGBT Advisory Board met for its regular monthly meeting Monday and discussed how to replace a board member who resigned last month.
A draft application was handed out to board members at Monday's meeting and included a consent form for a background check by the APD as required in the board's by-laws. Board members will review the application that was determined from information gathered in the board's by-laws and email suggestions to board chair Glen Paul Freedman by this weekend.
Once an application is approved, it will be submitted to the Atlanta Police LGBT liaisons, Senior Patrol Officer Patricia Powell and Officer Brian Sharp, for final approval for the background checks before it is made public for those seeking a spot on the voluntary board.
Two LGBT activists were asked to leave today's Atlanta Police Foundation's "Crime is Toast" breakfast featuring Mayor Kasim Reed and Chief George Turner after they held up protest signs about the Eagle raid at the beginning of the mayor's speech.
Art Izzard and Laura Gentle of the Queer Justice League were asked to leave the annual meeting held today at the World Congress Center after they stood up at the beginning of Mayor Reed's speech and held up signs that read, "How much $$ will APD cost taxpayers" and "Fire Atlanta Eagle police officers," according to the Queer Justice League.