Atlanta’s Eagle 8 go to trial today in court in Atlanta.
A raid on the Atlanta Eagle followed the Rainbow Lounge raid by just a few weeks. While two of the Rainbow 6 were in court two weeks ago, the entire Eagle 8 are in court today.
Atlanta police raided one of that city’s oldest gay bars and arrested four dancers and four managers. They are charged with city code violations, including dancing in their underwear without a permit.
In Atlanta, do people really go to city hall and go up to a clerk and say, “I’d like a permit to dance in my underwear?” Does Atlanta have one person assigned to issuing underwear-dancing permits or are they issued by people who issue other permits? Does the sign in city hall direct you to marriage licenses, fishing licenses and underwear dancing permits?
In Atlanta, the raid has prompted an internal police investigation that has not been completed. In Fort Worth, police have already changed procedures as a result of the raid. According to reports, tensions between the gay community and Atlanta police are still running high. A federal civil rights suit has been filed in that case. No civil suits have been filed yet in the Rainbow Lounge raid case.
The charges in the Rainbow Lounge raid are six counts of public intoxication and one simple assault. For a full update on the Rainbow Lounge, see this Friday’s Dallas Voice.
