Judge To Hear Contempt Case On Atlanta Eagle Raid Reforms
An audio version of this report
Lawyers for the City of Atlanta on Tuesday will again find themselves answering to contempt charges before a federal judge.
The city stands accused of violating a court order in the botched 2009 raid on the Atlanta Eagle, a Midtown gay bar. As part of a 2011 settlement in the case, the Atlanta Police Department agreed to five reforms. These reforms included everything from changing the department’s Standard Operating Procedures to requiring all officers wear nametags to closing officer misconduct complaints within 180 days.
But attorneys representing the Atlanta Eagle patrons say there’s evidence those reforms aren’t happening.
“We need more information,” says attorney Dan Grossman. “We do know the city has violated the court order but we don’t know how badly, because there are a lot of facts and information they’ve simply refused to tell us.”
The city, however, has said it’s fully compliant.
Atlanta officials maintained the same thing leading up to a separate contempt hearing last week. But once in court, Deputy City Attorney Robert Godfrey admitted APD hadn’t followed the court’s order and asked Judge Steve C. Jones for leniency.
Tuesday’s hearing on the Eagle case is before Judge Timothy Batten, and is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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