The Atlanta Civil Service Review Board has ruled that former Atlanta Police officer Cayenne Mayes who was involved in the raid on the Atlanta Eagle will not get his job back. The ruling was confirmed today by the city's Human Resources Department.

Mayes, 34, a former member of the now disbanded APD's Red Dog Unit who was fired  in July, testified to the city's Civil Service Review Board last month that he did not intend to lie when he told the Atlanta Citizen Review Board in March 2010 he did not pat down or frisk any patrons in the gay Midtown bar when it was raided Sept. 10, 2009.

In May, however, during an APD Office of Professional Standards and the Greenberg Traurig investigation, Mayes admitted he did pat down at least three men during the raid. He was fired by APD Chief George Turner in July after the Greenberg Traurig and OPS reports were finished and made public, showing many officers violated the rights of the patrons in the Eagle as well as did not follow policies.

"We are pleased that Chief Turner's decision has been upheld," said APD spokesperson Carlos Campos.

Mayes, who was a defendant in the original Eagle lawsuit that the city eventually settled for $1.025 million, is also a defendant in another Eagle lawsuit as well as a federal civil lawsuit filed against men who claim he is one of several Red Dog officers who illegally strip searched them in public.

Mayes' attorney invoked MLK at hearing

During the approximate four-hour hearing on Oct. 19, Mayes remained stoic. His attorney, Mary Huber, however, was emotional in her plea that the board give her client his job back.

Huber even invoked Martin Luther King Jr. in closing arguments when asking the board to reinstate Mayes to the department and also asked the LGBT community to show mercy

.

"I'm going to direct this to the plaintiffs in the [Eagle] lawsuit and to their counsel. The fact that people's rights were violated — there is no dispute that happened," she said. "But it doesn't mean you have to destroy the careers of officers. That's not necessary. You can do justice without attacking individuals.

"I can guarantee you the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in their quest for civil rights invoke the name of Dr. King. One of my favorite books is 'Stride Toward Freedom,'" she said holding up the book written by King.

 And in this book, King outlines the principals of nonviolence, Huber said.

"One of the characteristics of nonviolence is you direct your attack against the forces of evil rather than against the persons who happen to be doing evil," Huber quoted from the book.

Huber also said it was disturbing that at the same time senior assistant city attorney Amber Robinson, who argued on behalf of the city that Mayes remain fired, that other city attorneys were representing him in the other lawsuits against the city.

"Ms. Robinson is testifying on her behalf vehemently what a liar this guy is. She doesn't know him. People who do know him are other members of the law department, representing him now in this case. One member of the law department  is calling him a liar while at the same time they are defending him in court. This is wrong," Huber said.

Top photo: Former Atlanta Police Officer Cayenne Mayes (right) with his attorney Mary Huber last month at a Civil Service Review Board. (by Dyana Bagby)