The police proceeded to close the bars despite protests from the establishments' operators that city policy allowed them to say open.
The area was filled with revelers celebrating Black Gay Pride, which brings thousands of members of the nation's African-American LGBTQ community to Atlanta. That this incident took place during Atlanta’s 21st annual Black Gay Pride, an event that is extremely significant for our city, only compounds the problematic nature of the decision. Patrick's Day or the larger Atlanta Pride festival.įormer Atlanta City Council President Cathy Woolard, who is running to succeed Kasim Reed as mayor, said in an statement, “Given the fact that no other bars were shut down in this way, it is difficult not to interpret the action as discriminatory against the LGBTQ community. Some bar owners and candidates running for mayor accused APD of bias based on race and sexual orientation, saying police don't have miscommunications during other large gatherings such as St. “The department sincerely apologizes to the affected business owners and their patrons.”
“The morning watch supervisors should have been aware of the City Council’s extension of bar hours for the Labor Day weekend, but they were not,” he said.
