The Atlanta Police Department has released nine complaints alleging excessive force and discriminatory comments in a raid last week on the Eagle, a gay leather bar in Atlanta. A sampling of the complaints from the Southern Voice below:

One man said officers grabbed patrons who didn’t immediately lie down by the neck and forced them to the ground. The man said he was kicked in the ribs while lying down. “Then I heard laughing and giggling and saying this is more fun than raiding niggers with crack. They also told us to shut the fuck up unless we were spoken too [sic].” The man said he heard one person told that if he spoke again he would be hit by a chair. He also reported that one officer “said to everyone in general that all you all do is flash your asses and show your cocks.”

An Eagle employee said he did not know what he was charged with until he got to jail. “A lot of officers were laughing and high-fiving each other, and I heard one officer say I thought this was a sex club.”

Another patron described listening to officers chat about their cell phone plans as he lay on the ground. “I was forced down by physical force. They grabbed my neck and pushed me down. They put their boot on my back and told me to stay down. … If anyone asked anything they were told to ‘shut the fuck up.'”

Another patron said he saw officers forcing people to the ground by officers pushing their shoulders or the backs of their heads. He said he asked to move because there was broken glass on the floor where he was lying, and he was told to “shut the fuck up.” The customer recounted hearing anti-gay slurs: “I heard several slurs such as ‘I hate homosexuals.’ I also heard ‘I don’t like fags.’ One officer asked me if I was married and had any children, and he told me I should be ashamed for being there.” The customer recounted having his diabetes medication, which was in an unmarked container, taken and not returned. He recounted hearing another customer told that if he didn’t be quiet, an officer would hit him over the head with one of the barstools. “There were several officers standing over me that started joking about this is a lot of fun, we ought to come back and do this every week.” The customer said he heard an officer say pictures of men on the walls made him sick, and make comments about people’s appearance, including calling him “big boy.” He also said officers were watching the football game on TV during the raid.

A customer said he at first thought the bar was being robbed because the first police officer to yell “get the fuck on the floor” was dressed in civilian clothes and did not display a badge.

An employee who was arrested said that after the customers were allowed to leave, “the officers started high fiving and jumping up in the air bumping into each other like they were at a football game.”

An employee who lives in an apartment over the Eagle, who said he was not working that night, said someone started pounding on his door. He opened the door to two cops who asked if anyone was having sex there. They asked why there was a bed and he said it was because he lives there. He was made to come downstairs and was arrested with the other employees. He recalled hearing comments like “You people are despicable.”

It’s going to take more than sensitivity training and an LGBT liaison to drum the homophobia and racism out of our police force. Parents raising kids who aren’t bigots growing up to be cops would be a good start…. Oh wait a minute, I forgot what country I was living in…

Less than 24 hours after news broke that California Assemblyman Mike Duvall was caught discussing his sexual conquests on an open mic, the family values loving, marriage equality hating Republican from Orange County… has resigned.

“I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly, who are working hard on the very serious problems facing our state. I have come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle to remain in office. Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work.”

Not surprisingly, Duvall was a strong supporter of Proposition 8, “committed to defending California voters’ definition of marriage.”  It seems Duvall’s definition of marriage also extended to having affairs with female lobbyists.

Coverage from KCAL 9 in Los Angeles:

And below, some of what could not be repeated over the air… and it’s not for the faint of heart.

“She wears little eye-patch underwear… So, the other day she came here with her underwear, Thursday. And
 so, we had made love Wednesday–a lot! And so she’ll, she’s all, ‘I am going 
up and down the stairs, and you’re dripping out of me!’ So messy!”

Ewww…. Sorry. Too gross for further comment.

Senate Bill 572, which proclaims May 22 Harvey Milk Day, is now enroute to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after passing 45-27 in the California Assembly.

“I am pleased my colleagues in the Assembly recognize and honor Harvey Milk´s contributions to our state,” said Senator Leno (D-San Francisco). “He is an inspiration to people worldwide who believe in fairness and equality and he fought for many of the issues we value today, including access to education, public transportation, affordable housing and protecting the environment.

“Although he vetoed a similar bill last year with the message that Harvey Milk should be recognized only at the local level, I am confident Governor Schwarzenegger now understands the historic and international nature of Harvey´s legacy,” said Senator Leno. “Last week the Governor contradicted his 2008 veto message when he and the First Lady announced that Harvey will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, acknowledging that Harvey and the other inductees touched the ´lives of millions of people – not just in this state, but around the world.´”

SB 572 recognizes Harvey Milk´s life and contributions to the state with a day of special significance. Given California´s fiscal crisis, the bill has no cost to the state and state workers and school employees do not receive the day off work. The legislation is sponsored by Equality California and co-authored by 22 members of the Legislature, including members of the LGBT Legislative Caucus, Senator Christine Kehoe and Assemblymembers Tom Ammiano and John A. Pérez.

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com and opponent of the measure, released the following statement:

“The Democrat politicians are telling school children to honor a sexual predator of teens, a homosexual sex addict who advocated polygamous relationships, and a public liar who justified his deceit… By passing ‘Harvey Milk Gay Day,’ these Democrat politicians have declared war on children’s innocence in exchange for political favors from homosexual groups.”

If you haven’t already, send a message to Governor Schwarzenegger asking him to sign the Harvey Milk Day bill.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking for feedback via Twitter on various bills including including AB 2567, which would designate May 22 Harvey Milk Day.

The bill encourages schools and other educational institutions to recognize Harvey Milk on that date through appropriate commemorative exercises. The bill however does not pressure educators to indoctrinate children into the “homosexual lifestyle,” nor does it teach cross-dressing or same-sex attraction, despite what others would have you believe.

Last year Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure, saying that Milk’s commemoration should be restricted to San Francisco only and not state wide. Recently however President Barack Obama awarded Harvey Milk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a national honor, which certainly ups the stakes.

If you would like to encourage Gov. Schwarzenegger to pass the AB 2567, feel free to send the tweet below, courtesy of Change.org:

@Schwarzenegger: Sign the Harvey Milk Day bill! He gave his life, the least you can do is give him a day. #p2 #LGBT