By: Chanel Haley
We often forget that the first Pride Parade was not a celebration, but march against the oppression faced by LGBT communities. This week marks 50 years since the Stonewall Riots in New York City, an event sparked by tensions between the New York Police Department and local LGBT communities that birthed the LGBT Pride Parades we currently commemorate.
Today, New York City police officers don rainbow painted police vehicles during the NYC Pride Parade, a far departure from the environment that fostered the June 28, 1969 riot. As we consider why we march today, it’s important to revisit the history between the police and LGBT communities.
Law enforcement interactions with LGBT communities vary from department to department and from city to city. The history of interactions between the Atlanta Police and LGBT communities is complicated. Like in most other places, the relationship between the two groups did not start off.
Historically, elected officials have stepped in to address issues between the Atlanta police and the LGBT community. One example of this is the Atlanta Citizen Review Board (ACRB). In 1987, Mayor Andrew Young, created the first adhoc 27 member ACRB, which was disbanded after he left office. Mayor Bill Campbell attempted to resurrect it in 1996, but it was under Mayor Kasim Reed that the body was able to flourish. The ACRB’s primary goal is to review grievances of citizens who have complaints against any member of the Atlanta Police or Corrections Departments. This impartial body serves to help ensure the highest level of equality under the law for all people by providing a voice to citizens of the Atlanta community at large.
On the night of September 10, 2009, a dozen cops burst through the door of the Eagle – a popular gay nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia. The bar was being raided. The raid itself was signaled to begin by one or more of the several plain-clothes undercover cops of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) who had entered the club without a warrant (but for the express purpose of conducting a criminal investigation) and were posing as customers. The uniformed cops raiding the club also entered without a warrant. In all, the APD used at least 10 police cars and at least 15 cops to conduct this raid. The Atlanta Citizen Review Board concluded that False Arrests were made, there was Police Misconduct, and they found 24 APD cops guilty of False Imprisonment. Out of this , an LGBT Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) was created along with a new position Atlanta Police Department position – LGBT Liaison.
The Atlanta Police Department LGBT Liaisons are readily available and are active and visible within the community. There is a healthy dose of participation from the Atlanta Police Department during the Atlanta Pride Parade, showcasing City of Atlanta LGBT employee’s support and pride. New recruits to the Atlanta Police Academy are required to train on scenarios that support and encourage positive interactions with transgender communities. The Atlanta Police Academy also administers a citizen police academy and last year started its first LGBT citizen police academy.
Even with all of the progress that has been made between police departments and the LGBT community, there is still more work to be done. The Atlanta Citizen Review Board received 23 complaints in 2018, 20 so far this year. Additionally, law enforcement agencies in the State of Georgia, like most other states, do not collect data on sexual orientation and gender identity which would provide a clearer picture of violence being perpetrated against LGBT people. It is more important than ever during these times to remember how and why the Stonewall Riots began, and that we have to be steadfast for inclusion and fair treatment.