Monday, January 23, 2012
LGBT What the hell is going on at Blake's in Midtown?
Posted by Bobby Feingold @senorbobby on Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 2:11 PM
- CL File
- Blake's from the halcyon days of 2005
Project Q has an early report of the melee:
The incident took place about 1:15 a.m. on Saturday. A spokesperson for Atlanta police said that two people were arrested after police responded to a fight call at the popular 10th Street gay bar ... Several uniformed Atlanta police officers responded and rushed into the bar, according to this witness who asked to remain anonymous.Some responding officers called patrons in the gay bar “sweetie” and “princess,” according to the witness. He also alleges that another officer ordered a man to stop recording the scene on his mobile phone, knocked it out of his hand and then ordered the man to delete most of what he recorded.
Double no-no, APD. Did the botched 2009 Atlanta Eagle raid and your new LGBT liaison teach you nothing? But APD spokesman Carlos Campos responded with this statement:
One of the males refused [to leave Blake's] and threw his drink in the officer’s face and then punched him in the face. At some point, a call for assistance went out over the radio and several Zone 5 officers and a supervisor arrived on scene. One of the individuals damaged a third person’s vehicle in the parking lot and was charged with Criminal Damage to Property. The first individual that punched the off-duty officer was charged initially with Felony Obstruction.
If someone condescendingly called me princess, I might throw a drink in their face too. Now sources are saying the alleged police brutality never happened. Longtime Blake's employee Lynn Barfied told the GA Voice that "there was no discrimination by the Atlanta Police Department against patrons of the bar."
"No one was hurt, no one was taunted or were physically abused by anyone. The only people that got hurt was our staff, trying to apprehend the jerks that started the whole mess." ... "They [the APD] show up any time we need them at our bar for incidents just like this. It's not news to us, it's what we deal with every weekend. How the rumor of officers discriminating against anyone got started is beyond me," she added.
Was it a rumor, or is Blake's trying to cover its butt? Earlier this month, two men were mugged while returning to their parked cars from Blake's.
Bad things are going down at the corner of 10th and Piedmont, the former ground zero for gay Atlanta. LGBT bookstore Outwrite is vacating its landmark shop and a chain Italian restaurant is opening across the street. Atlanta Police's LGBT Advisory Board will be meeting tonight to discuss the fight and resulting arrests and hopefully speak about crime in Midtown. But there's one question I need answered immediately: just what were those two queens fighting about in the first place?
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Vance Johnson and Derrick Leegrant, both 22, face charges of simple battery and felony obstruction after a fight at the popular Midtown gay bar early Saturday
Comments (23)
Showing 1-23 of 23
How is the new Italian restaurant a chain? It's part of the Peasant group of restaurants. Does that mean Parish is a chain since it's under the Concentrics umbrella?
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And as for 10th and Piedmont, that gayborhood is so last decade. Where my O4W bitches?
Sounds like someone heard about the Eagle raid settlement and saw fabulous glittery $ signs.
"How is the new Italian restaurant a chain? It's part of the Peasant group of restaurants."
Shoot for I second I got excited, thought we were getting an Olive Garden in midtown! That would be sweeeeeetttttt. ;-)
Unlimited breadsticks!!!!! ;-)
Anywho, that's the problem with having a police force that has lost the trust of the people. I'm sure there are many good APD's out there, but those involved in all the scandals and those that are still in power who don't implement positive change in the force, put the actions of the APD always at question. Let's just see what the investigation brings about; if there is any validity to the whole scandal, I'm sure the truth will come out by the end of it all.
The author of this story needs to return to (attend?) journalism classes. Hearsay, innuendo, and only one verified quote from someone who was actually working that night. To attempt to tie the muggings nearby to Blake's is ludicrous. "Bad things are going down at the corner of 10th and Piedmont" .. seriously?
I call bullshit, though something like a guy getting a phone knocked out of his hand by a cop should produce at least a couple of other witnesses than just a bar worker. As should some insulted queen throwing his drink at a po-lice. That this kind of story happens at all only underscores that the APD has made a really uncomfortable bed for itself.
What a joke, why is this story even on here...this just goes to prove that media in this town is nothing but a glorified facebook, or twitter. God forbid anyone should do ANY research into a story. Good job trying to make something out of nothing.
That a gay bar would even contact the APD in the first place instead of handling the situation themselves is beyond me, but not surprising with a bar with a history of incompetents running it. A few years ago some girlfriends of mine were using the bathroom together, when a staff member, without knocking, either unlocked the door or broke in while one of them was on the toilet (so clearly not doing anything sketchy), physically shoved all of them out while verbally abusing them. "Dumb, illiterate, dykes" was the exact quote. It turns out there was a small sign on the door, but this was a clear overreaction, probably like this current situation was. So I wouldn't be surprised if this was due Blake's mismanagement (aside from the obvious over-serving of liquor) just as much as the cops taunting.
as far as I'm concerned you can call people fighting in a bar anything you like.
jurban8: I think CL uses non-traditional criteria to determine whether a restaurant is a chain or not. Basically
1) Is it connected to one of 5 overhyped chefs (Blais, Doty ,etc)?
2) Is the term "farm-to-table" incorporated in the press release?
3) Will there be someone working there with the title "Mixologist"?
4) Is it in O4W or on Edgewood?
I think you need to meet at least 2 of these criteria, if not you are a chain restaurant.
Sounds like a lot of people are posting basically saying the "witness" is wrong. Zed, seems like the witness was claiming the cops were calling the non involved parties Sweetie or Princess, which if true, and it sounds like it may not be, is a problem. Then again maybe all those folks posting that the witness is wrong work for Kasim Reed.....
Bottom line I think we can all agree that this "misunderstanding" never would have happened if Blakes was an Olive Garden!
iamheathcliff:
The reason more than one person is not allowed in the bathroom at anyone time is because if any bar patrons are ever caught using the bathroom as a site of intercourse, it can be used as an excuse to raid the bar. Blake's is covering its ass from a system that unduly punishes LGBT establishments...c'mon now - that's LGBT 101.
There is a difference between reporting an unverified news story and the deliberate slander of a business and indeed a neighborhood as a whole. I'm curious to see if Creative Loafing issues retraction or at least a verified update without the hyperbole and innuendo..
@inatl
well if that's the case, then its a shame, and yes, we deserve better police than that. I doubt we'll get them, though.
@Inatl - But hey now, if a bunch of stoners raid Olive Garden and they were rationed the bread sticks, I'd see mass hysteria break out!
Actually, I just found out, one of my friends helped break up the fight and he told me that himself, among others, heard nothing derogatory from the cops and that fight began and ended and the night went on. But again, I'm sure the truth will come out when the investigation is done.
It seems as if there are plenty of witnesses coming forward to say APD did nothing wrong....will we see CL update there rumor fest???? Whats the matter Bobby, doesn't fit your anti APD agenda?
That place is getting worse every day. I think this shows the spiraling down due to mismanagement, crime, and drama.
I see Creative Loafing still hasn't updated their story with the current facts, or bothered to print a retraction regarding the unfounded allegations they published. Typical poor journalism.
some drunks got arrested at a bar.
y'all sure there's a story here?
@Mr. A, I understand where you're coming from, but the situation could have been handled professionally by Blake's staff. No one was resisting, as they were in this situation, and the mistake was unintentional. My point is that if Blake's was verbally abusive and physically aggressive in a small situation like my friend's, how the hell are they expected to handle some wasted guys throwing punches at a cop?
The overwhelmingly bigger point is that, considering the Eagle raid and gross police misconduct, it's important for Atlanta journalists like Bobby to report any time APD sticks even a baby toe in a gay bar, because who else is holding them accountable?
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