The severe beating that forced doctors to put him into a medically induced coma may not be the worst of it for Georgia parole officer George B. Walker. He will also have to explain to his wife why his car was parked at the Atlanta Eagle — yes, that gay bar.
As Walker lies in a hospital bed, police arrested suspect Gregory Johnson, who’s being charged with robbery and aggravated assault. Walker was found in Atlanta’s Central Park; his car, however, was parked in front of the Eagle, the gay bar now infamous for the police raid in September. It’s unknown whether Walker, the victim, drove it there Friday night. (And you can imagine the tension inside the bar when cops pulled up to retrieve the car, thinking they were about to be raided again.) And there are no credit card receipts baring Walker’s name.
Those details come from the Atlanta Police Department’s public affairs manager Carlos Campos. And while a victim possibly visiting a gay bar isn’t particularly noteworthy (unless we’re dealing with a hate crime here), I find it a little bit off-putting that he cops are releasing details that’ll inevitably call Walker’s sexuality into question while he sits in a coma and his wife’s mind goes “WTF?”
Georgiaguy
I have lived in Atlanta for about 30 years, but there really is little parking at the Eagle. I have a friend with a condo in walking distance and he complains of the hookers and drug trade in the area.
Yet Another
I find it off putting that Queerty rountinely releases details that could call individuals sexuality into question. But I guess Queerty is a journalist. Except he’s not… But the cops are the enemy. Except they’re not…. So I guess it’s the coma thats off-putting.
TommyOC
Queerty exposes the reason of why the cops released these details… and then goes on to completely *miss* said reason:
If you’re gonna catch somebody, you release as much information as possible. That means the cops need to get the word out that citizens in the travel corridor between Central Park and the Eagle may have been witness to a crime.
How else are you going to call attention to the matter?
Instead of slamming the cops, Queerty might want to get on the horn and assure this man’s wife that there’s nothing in this incident at the moment that implies her husband is anything but a devoted spouse. You might want to also chime in that the Atlanta PD has your full support in finding the perpetrator, regardless of the victim’s sexuality.
Dawson
Seriously, if you are in the closet that is your business. If you are on the down low with a wife and kids then that is their business. Anyone living a lie to themselves is only hurting themselves, when you bring other people into that lie you hurt them, so that person doesn’t need any “protection” or “recognition” by the gay community.
GA 2010
Well I know for a fact that him and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce so it shouldnt matter the nature of his sexuality…they have been separated for quite a while now.